1 Human Plus 2 Halfas Equals A Family
by Blak-Ice
Summary: After the Disateroid incident, Danny and his friends are ready for a normal weekend. That is, until the sudden arrival of his cousin, Danielle, who brings along some startling information that even she didn't know, and that will change Danny and Sam's world forever. But the question is, are they ready to take on the responsibilities of being parents and help Danielle to grow up?
1. Chapter 1: A Ghostly Surprise

Chapter 1: A Ghostly Surprise

Danny huffed a sigh of relief as the final bell rang throughout the school, dismissing him and the rest of the student body for the weekend. After collecting his books, he sluggishly walked to his locker where he found Sam and Tucker waiting for him as usual.

"Hey, Danny," They said in unison.

"Hey guys," he said in a tired tone as he opened his locker and placed his remaining books inside.

"Well someone got a lot of sleep last night," Sam commented with a smirk on her face.

"I'm sure you would have too if Skulker showed up to try and skin you alive, and then you had to listen to the Box Ghost yell 'BEWARE!' all night."

"Ok, the Skulker thing I can understand, especially since now you're famous for saving both this world and the Ghost Zone," Tucker said as he put his PDA away, "but why was the Box Ghost bothering you? Doesn't he have something better to like haunting a box factory or something?"

Apparently not since he wouldn't go away until I got out of bed and nearly blasted him to pieces," he said as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Or into Ectoplasm, I guess. Either way, I'm just glad this week is over. I just wanna relax, eat junk food, and hang with my best friend and my girlfriend," he said, wrapping an arm around Tucker and placing a small kiss on Sam's cheek.

"Now there's the Danny we know and love," Sam said with a smile.

"And as long as nothing interrupts with perfectly planned weekend, everything will be fine."

Unfortunately for Danny, he'd spoken too soon as this weekend would change his life forever. The trio of ghosts hunters were heading for the exit when heard what sounded like running and shouting coming their way.

"Stop, whoever you are! You are not permitted on school property!"

Confused, they looked around the corner to see their English teacher, Mr. Lancer chasing someone. But it wasn't any old ordinary person, no. It was a young girl who looked to be in her early teen years. With pitch black messy hair, a faded blue hoodie and a worn and torn pair of red pants with a hat to match, Danny knew instantly who it was being chased by the middle aged man.

"Leave me alone old man!" the girl shouted out.

_Oh great. Now she's getting herself more in trouble. I should have known that a normal weekend was too much to ask for. Why do I always Jinx myself? _Danny thought with a sigh.

"I'm trying to find-" she started but stopped when she rounded the corner and literally ran into who she was looking for, nearly knocking him over with her. "Ow…that really hurt," she said as she stood and rubbed her head before putting on a bright smile and hugging her favorite cousin. "Danny!"

"Danielle? What are you doing here? Last I heard you were flying around the Ghost Zone, but that was almost two months ago after the Disasteroid incident," he said, holding her shoulders and taking in her dirt covered face and the dark circles under her eyes. She looked as if she hadn't slept or bathed in a while, and, if that were true, he also knew that she probably hadn't eaten in a while either.

"I was, but then I found some really important information that I thought you needed to know, and-"

In an instant, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back, holding them firmly in their grasp. Turning to see who had just so rudely interrupted her, she gulped in slight fear at the very angry, but also very tired, face of Mr. Lancer as he tried to catch the last of his breath.

"Of Mice and Men, people, somebody better explain who this girl is and why she is running around the school unattended, calling teachers old!" he said while panting and looking at the three students.

"Um, yea, sorry bout that Mr. Lancer," Danny said, stepping forward and grabbing Danielle's hand in his own. "This is my cousin, Danielle. She came looking for me, but I guess she got a little lost on the way."

Mr. Lancer sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Fenton, I'm sure you know it's more customary to have someone call the office when there's a family emergency."

"I know, sir, and I'm really sorry about her coming here and causing you so much trouble. I don't know what's gotten into her," he said, looking at her with an annoyed look. Danielle, who was very interested in her shoes in the last minute, looked up at Danny, and gave a nervous smile like a child who just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Well…since it is the weekend, and because of how hard you three work, I'll let it go this time. But you, Ms. Fenton," he said, glancing down at her, "next time you need to tell him something, just ask someone in the office for help. They'll be more the glad to help." Danielle smiled and nodded her head. Satisfied with himself, Mr. Lancer turned to take his leave, while Danielle, having a mischievous grin on her face, stuck her tongue out at him as he walked away, causing Danny to roll his eyes.

"Dani!" he said, turning to face her while still hold her hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Wow. Barely even a 'Hello' or a 'How've you been? I've mess you since the last time you helped save my ungrateful butt'," she said as she pulled her arm from his grasp and folded them over her chest. "You know, you really should work on that. It'll help you're people skills."

"Wow. Witty banter and everything. She really is your clone," Sam said with a grin.

Danny rolled his eyes, this time at both of them, and got back to the matter at hand. "Like I was saying, what was so important that couldn't wait, and caused you to come all the way here to my school and wreak havoc on my teacher?"

"Well, ever since the Disasteroid incident, where I again helped to save your ungrateful butt-"

"Ignoring that," he muttered.

"The Government has been looking for Vlad or any information that they can get about him."

"The Government? Dani, are you being chased by the Guys in White?" Danny asked, a twinge of anger in his voice at the very thought of them. Ever since they showed up, they've been nothing but a pain for Danny and the rest of his team. _If I find out that they've even touched one hair on her head…_

"No no! I haven't seen or heard anything about them in a while," she said with a reassuring smile.

"Is it Vlad?" Tucker asked.

Sam, who was getting fed up, decided to intervene. "Will you guys chill and let her speak? I swear, boys…" she shook her head. "Go ahead, Dani."

"Thank you, Sam. Anyway, ever since he disappeared, the FBI have been snooping all over his place, both here and the one he had in Wisconsin. When they started their search, I knew it was only a matter of time before they found out about the secret cabin he had in Colorado, which got me paranoid that they would find information on all his cloning experiments, including me. If they found out about me, I knew that they'd start hunting me down, so I headed there to get it before them."

"But why would they want you?" Danny thought out loud.

"In actuality, there could be a couple different reasons," Tucker said as he pulled out his PDA. "The first could be her connection to Vlad. They would hunt her down and try to see what she knew about him. The next could be to stop her and either lock her away or get rid of her. They may think that she's evil or working for him to try and get information by posing as a normal girl before infiltrating secure areas. They could also see that since he created her and outed himself, that she'd be trying to avenge him and continue what he started. The last option would be that since she's the only surviving, but also the strongest of all the clones that he had created, and would see it as an opportunity to make their own in secret," he finished as he looked up from his PDA, only to be met with three pairs of eyes that seemed to blink in sync. "Well, those are just some options," he blushed and looked away.

"Going off from what Tucker said, I was scared cuz god only knows what they'd do to me," she said, shuddering at the thought. "So I flew to Colorado and got into Vlad's secret lab under the cabin. I was glad to see that they hadn't got wind of it yet, and started going through all his files and all his stuff, trying to find and get rid of all information that involved me. It took me a few days, but I was able to get it all, and remove it from the computer before I fried it," she said pulling out a flash-drive from her pants pocket.

"No wonder you look like death, no pun intended," he said as he took the small device from her.

"Let me see that," Tucker said, putting it into his PDA. "So all the data's on here?"

"No. On there are the blueprints he used to create me and the other clones. Full process and everything," she said before taking off and digging around in her red backpack, which was falling apart, and pulled out a manila folder. "In _here_ are the more specific details about me."

"Ok, well this is all good information and everything, but what does it have to do with Danny?" Sam asked.

"I spent hours ready through the files, and it turns out that I'm not just a clone of Danny."

Confusion ran across the faces of all three teenagers. How is it possible that she wasn't just a clone of Danny? "What are you talking about, Dani?" Sam asked as Danny continued to scan through the files, though much of it wasn't making sense until he came upon a startling section of the paper:

DNA Combinations:

50% Daniel Fenton

50% Samantha Manson

_Samantha Manson? As in, Sam? Dani's human DNA came from Sam?_

"Um, Sam…I think you should read this," he said, handing her the packet. Sam scanned the information the same as Danny did. Upon arriving at the paragraph, her grew wide and her mouth opened in shock.

"What!" Sam shouted. "This-this is crazy! How is this even possible!"

"Um guys, you might wanna check this out," Tucker said holding up his PDA. "Looks like Vlad kept a video log of all his research and cloning attempts."

All four huddled together as the PDA buzzed to life with static before a video with Vlad in his ghost form started to play. _"Day 238 of my cloning research. I've spent almost a year researching and finding everything needed for my experiments, and have finally been able to put my plan into work. Unfortunately, it seems that I'm still missing something. My research has shown that trying to make an exact replica of Daniel from just his DNA, results in only a mere ghostly form that has the ability to change size from large to small, but has no physical form to function with. _

"_For my second attempt at cloning, I separated the ghostly DNA from the cells, and blasted them with Ectoplasm, much like the procedure that gave both Daniel and I our ghost powers, but it was again, a failure. This clone was left with any internal organs or skin whatsoever, and was merely a skeleton with a body only from the waist up._

"_On my third attempt, I have tried combing both my DNA and Daniel's, but the results have shown that this clone is enormous in size as well as strength, but is completely in able to think, so much so, his speech pattern is virtually useless._

"_Because of these results, I have instead decided to try a new method by taking a sample I have acquired for Daniel's friend, Samantha. I plan on taking her human DNA and combing it solely with Daniel's ghost DNA, and in doing so, I hope to create a perfect clone, but also, should this work, I'd like to be sure it does not cause any suspicion when the child goes to replace and destroy Daniel. For now, I must wait for the results." _

_Sam shook her head in disgust as the video ended. "Ok, I don't even think I wanna know how he even got my DNA. That is seriously messed up_."

"Hold on, there's another video he made a few days after that one," Tucker said.

"_Day 245. It seems that my last attempt at creating a clone was indeed a success. The samples I have collected from Daniel and Samantha have seemed to bond very well together and have created a perfect template for a child. However, it seems that I've made a miscalculation. It seems that there was more human DNA then ghost. Somehow, while the process was taking place, it skipped a crucial part, and instead of producing the Y Chromosome as I had wanted, it has resulted in the child is now being female instead of male." The camera then pans over to a pod, holding a little girl that couldn't have been more than three years old. "This disturbing piece of information means that I shall have to try once again to make my perfect clone, and must be sure to carefully manipulate the process so that all goes according to plan," he said with a dark smile before cackling into the screen._

Tucker shut the video off, but no one said a word for what seemed like hours, when in actuality, it had only been minutes. Finally, Danny took in a breath and sighed, breaking the tension.

"Well, that explains how Danielle was created. I never expected Vlad to be so twisted and crazy that he'd actually bring you into this, Sam," he said as he looked at her. "Sorry."

"It's ok. You didn't know. None of us did, and in all honesty, I'm not that surprised. Vlad was crazy enough to do whatever it took to get what he wanted, and if it hadn't been for you two, who knows what would have happened," she said as she brushed some of her hair from her face.

"Sam…" Danielle said, getting the older girls attention while looking down somewhat embarrassed. "I'm really sorry that you got dragged into this whole thing by Vlad. He had no right to do any of this, and the fact that he's almost ruined all of your lives only makes me feel worse."

Sam smiled and shook her head. "You've got nothing to be sorry for and nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong and now that you're here, you don't have to do his bidding. You get to live a life all your own, even if you are a clone."

"Um guys," Tucker said, still looking at his PDA, "It's a little more complicated than that."

"What do you mean, Tuck?" Danny asked.

"Well according to the records he kept when he made the primary clone, he manipulated the DNA from Danny and somehow created an egg from it, and afterwards, added Sam's DNA. He achieved his goal of a male copy of Danny, but because of the insertion of Sam's DNA, it was still too unstable."

"So?"

"So, when he was creating Dani before hand, he made an egg from _Sam's _DNA, and then added Danny's. So how, Vlad had created a perfect replica of a female egg using Sam's DNA, which is why Dani was stable in her human form. My guess is that Ghost DNA, because it's laced with ectoplasmic energy, makes it more unstable and harder to work with, which is why the other clones melted and why the primary had to be kept in a containment chamber the whole time."

"Ew, that is seriously gross," Sam said covering her face.

"Wait," Danny said as he mind tried to piece all this need found information together. "If he was able to use her DNA to make an egg, would that be the same as if he had gotten one directly donated from her?"

"Um, hello, standing right, being really disgusted," Sam said in annoyance.

"Exactly, and since the female egg is just one half of the template, when he added Danny's DNA directly to Sam's "faux egg", he basically created a new form of in vitro fertilization, which means-"

"When he created Dani, he didn't create a clone," Sam said as her eyes grew wide.

"He created our daughter…" Danny whispered, looking down at Danielle who stood just as shocked as the others.

"I'm…your daughter?" she said, gazing into Danny's bright eyes. 


	2. Chapter 2: Taking on Responsibilities

Chapter 2: Taking on Responsibilities

"But…that's impossible," Sam said, leaning against a locker for support. "I'm…I'm a mother? Of a twelve year old human-ghost hybrid?"

"Looks that way," Tucker said while still scrolling through his PDA.

"But, how is that even possible? She doesn't even look like she has any of my traits or looks."

"Well, genetics work in weird ways, Sam. I mean, if all of Danny's main traits are dominate, for example his eyes, than she would get them. But if the traits for hair are dominate on your side, she would have gotten that from you, though" he paused, looking Danielle over before turning back to Sam, "it's hard to say who she gets the hair color from, but she definitely got the style from Danny."

"I can't believe that thanks to that nutjob Vlad, Danny and I have a twelve year old daughter."

"Well, technically she's only about 8 months old, but basically yeah. It's gotta suck to know you have a kid and didn't even get to have the fun part of making her," he smirk.

"Tucker, this is not funny, nor something to joke about!" she yelled as her face started turning red from both anger and embarrassment at his comment.

"Look Sam, what do you want me to say? The proof is in the data. He took your DNA, made an exact replica of your egg, added Danny's DNA, put it together into some kind of chamber, and out came Danielle like a cake from the oven. It's all set in stone," he said, holding up his PDA again. "Or, print, I guess."

Sam sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know, Tucker, and I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in right now, right Danny?" she asked. "Danny?" when she called his name again and still got no answer, she turned to see the two halfas were still staring at each other.

A long silence fell over the group, no one really what to say or make of the situation. Danny's mind was racing as many thoughts ran around, one after another, trying to be the dominant thought for him to focus on.

_Danielle is…my daughter? Mine and Sam's daughter? But…she wasn't born to us. She was created differently…she was created by Vlad, but, that doesn't matter. It never mattered to me before because…because I had only thought of her as a cousin, maybe as a sister, but as a daughter? It never even crossed my mind. Can I handle that kind of responsibility? Do I even want it?_

Danielle's mind was running just as much as Danny's, though her thoughts were completely different.

_His daughter…I'm his daughter…and Sam's…Why wouldn't Vlad tell me this? Was he afraid that if I knew, I would have betrayed him sooner rather than later? This is all so confusing. I mean, I've always looked up to Danny, but more like a brother. The fact that he's my father, on a technical level, I guess doesn't mean anything. I mean, why would it? I wasn't born to him or Sam, and I'm only eight months old, but look like I'm twelve. Plus, they're fifteen! Why would they even want a kid right now? It was a mistake for me to come here. I shouldn't have brought this to them. Maybe…maybe I should just go…I mean, I've been taking care of myself for a while…_

A small pang of guilt and sorrow ran up through Danielle's body. Here she was, trying to surprise her cousin with a visit and some new information that may be useful to him, and all she was doing was making his life more complicated. How could she expect him to even care for a daughter he never knew he had and who wasn't even technically his daughter, but an abomination made from a combination on DNA stolen from him and Sam? She'd have to be crazy to think he'd even consider having any feelings for her.

"Tucker, please explain to me, how she could be mine _and _Danny's daughter, but having almost exclusively Danny's traits?" Sam asked.

"Well to be honest, I'm not really sure. Maybe it's because his Ghost DNA was stronger than your human DNA. Since Vlad was using Phantom DNA instead of Fenton DNA, he could have had a stronger effect on her personality and traits, but that's a stretch, to say the least."

Sam sighed, turning back to the two still stunned halfas. "Hey, hello! Earth to Danny and Danielle! Wake up, space heads!" she said, shaking them both.

"Huh-who-what?" Danny said, looking at Sam who only rolled her eyes.

"Brilliant, Fenton. Now focus. What are we going to do about this?"

"About what?" Jazz asked, walking up to the group. "And what's keeping you guys? We were supposed to leave 10 minutes ago."

"Um, nothing, Jazz. I'll explain everything later. Right now, we need to get Danielle, and-" Danny stopped as he turned around to see that Danielle was gone. "Danielle? Danielle!" he yelled, panic quickly taking over all rationality in his body.

"Danny, calm down! Who's this Danielle you're talking about?" Jazz asked, concern for her brother clear in her voice.

Just as Danny was about to start explaining the situation, he caught something outside the window. He turned and focused on the black and white object as it streaked through the sky and away from the school. Before he even realized it, Danny had taken off down the hall, transforming into his ghost form in pursuit of the runaway ghost girl, having made up his mind in that split second of how he felt about her.

"Danny! Where are you going!"

"Take Sam and Tucker to our house, Jazz. I'll explain everything when I get there!" he yelled back, phasing threw the wall before she could protest.

It didn't take Danny long to catch up to Danielle. Even though he knew they could both go faster than 100 miles per hour, he could tell that she wasn't going faster then maybe 60. As he got closer, he soon realized why as he heard the sobs coming from the young girl.

"Dani! Stop!" he shouted over the wind.

"Leave me alone!" She yelled, turning to shoot an ecto-ray at him. Danny dodged it easy, but took quick note of the tears in her eyes.

"Danielle, stop!" he shouted again as he grabbed a hold of her wrist, yanking her back and causing them both to stop in mid-air. "Why are you running from me?"

"I said leave me alone!" She yelled in his face as she tried to yank her hand out of his grip, but to no avail.

"What's wrong with you? Why would you just take off like that?"

"Because!"

"Because what?"

"Just because!" she screech at him, still trying to get free.

"Wow, good reasoning there," he said in annoyance as he rolled his eyes. "Now, what's the _real _reason?"

"Because…I-I know…that you don't want me," she said in a sad tone as her body went limp and the tears she was fighting finally spilled over.

"Don't want you? What are you talking about?" he asked, finally letting go of her.

"How could you want me? I'm not even a clone of you. Just some messed up combination of cells and DNA that fruitloop stole from you and Sam. I'm an abomination. Why would you want or even care about me when all I ever do is bring more and more trouble to your lives. I mean, Sam probably doesn't like me. And let's not forget that you guys are fifteen years old! Why would you want the responsibility of having to look after me? I'd be better off just leaving you guys and not coming back. I'm not even technically your kid! I wasn't even born. I-"

"Danielle!" he yelled, startling her as he grabbed her shoulders. "Shut up and stop talking nonsense!"

"What? But-"

"Listen to me, and listen good. You are NOT, I repeat, NOT an abomination or a messed up combination of mine and Sam's DNA. You are a smart, cheery, mischievous, beautiful young lady. Sure, we didn't exactly create you ourselves, and yeah, we may only be fifteen years old, but you're our daughter, making you our responsibility, and no matter how you got here or why, you are still mine, and I'll love you either way, no matter what."

"But…what about Sam? She doesn't even like me."

"Now why would you say that?"

"Because every time I show up, I do something that either gets them in trouble or puts someone in danger," she said in a quiet voice, a bit of shame creeping into her stomach.

"Look, Dani, sure, you may have caused a few…mishaps in the past, but those weren't your fault. And I can promise you, Sam isn't the type to hold long grudges over a little food on her head. Trust me, I know," he said with a grin that caused her to smile a little.

"But what about your guys' parents? What'll they say when you tell them you have a 8 month old daughter that looks like she's twelve?"

"You know, when you say it like that, it sounds kinda weird," Danny said, getting a small giggle from the young girl. "We'll worry about all that later. Right now, all that's important is to get you back to my place and get you rested and fed, because you are not, no matter how much you try to argue, no matter how many times you try to run away, and I will find you," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye, "leaving again," he finished, pulling her into a tight hug that surprised her. "Understood?"

Danielle floated there, completely stunned before her face started to scrunch up and more tears came to her eyes. "Danny, I-I don't-"she stopped as her chest started to heave with a sob and her tears started to flow like a river. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. "Thank you!"

"Of course. Now, let's go home. I'm sure Sam and Tucker are at their wits end with Jazz asking all those questions. Not to mention how my parents are reacting to trying to calm Jazz down."

"Wow…I've never been this nervous. Not even when Vlad was trying to melt me into ectoplasm," she said, wiping her eyes and heading the direction of Fenton Works. "Race ya!" she yelled before taking off at full speed.

"Hey, no fair!" he smiled before taking off after her.

Upon their arrival, Danielle cheered and floated around Danny victoriously and followed him onto the porch where they both proceeded to change back into their human forms. As she stood in front of the door, she could feel her knees start to get weak from the fear of what was going to transpire once they entered the home. She looked up at Danny who was looking down at her with a reassuring smile.

"Are you ready for this?"

"I'd be lying if I said yes," she said as she placed a hand on her stomach. "I feel like I'm gonna puke, so let's just get this over with."

"Look, Danielle," he said, kneeling down to her level, "no matter what happens in there, I promise you're safe, and I will protect you. You are important to me, and I love you, so don't you ever think I don't and that I'd just leave you to face this alone," he said smiling at her. He then kissed her forehead, trying to help to ease her fright, and was rewarded with a smile and another hug before standing to his feet and opening the door.


	3. Chapter 3:Meeting the Family

Chapter 3: Meeting the Family

As Danny walked into his living room, nervous to what he would find, he soon found himself extremely amused at the site before him: Jazz being held back by his parents while she tried to get the answers to her questions from Sam and Tucker, who were backed into a corner, trying to avoid possibly getting mauled by the older girl.

Danny resisted the urge to laugh as it seemed that they had yet to notice his and Danielle's presence, but couldn't help the smile that came across his face from the small giggle he heard behind him.

"Um, guys? I think Sam and Tucker could use some breathing room," Danny said, causing everyone to turn toward the door and stare at him. Danielle, feeling even more nervous and shy then before now everyone was looking at her, or more so toward her, grabbed the back of Danny's shirt and buried her face in it, trying to hide like a frightened child, which in actuality, she was. Acting on her natural reflexes, Danielle suddenly turned invisible, hoping no one had seen her behind him already.

"Danny!" Jazz growled, making her way over. The scowl on her face told Danny that maybe leaving her in the dark for so long about all of this wasn't such a good idea. "What was all that about back at the school, and who was that girl you were yelling about, and why won't Sam or Tucker tell us what's going on?"

"Jazz, just calm down, will ya? I promise, everything will be explained if you just give me a little time first," he said as he slowly shuffled around her, keeping his back toward the wall, and walking backwards into the kitchen while a nervous smile stayed on his face.

"Danny, are you…feeling ok? You're acting weirder than usual. Are your powers acting up?" Maddie asked with motherly concern.

"No, no. My powers are fine. But…you guys all might wanna sit down. We've got some serious stuff to talk about."

All three nodded and sat down at the table as Sam and Tucker moved to stand beside Danny, waiting for him to begin his explanation. Danny, moving his hands behind his back, tried to pry Danielle away from his shirt, but failed as she only seemed to clamp on tighter. Danny sighed, looking at Sam for help, who promptly moved behind him, and after a few good pulls, eventually was able to pry the scared girl from his shirt, though she had yet to try visible again. The other Fentons looked on, perplexed, at Sam as she seemed to be holding nothing but air.

Danny smiled thanks and took Danielle from her, and, using his own ecto-energy, forced her to become visible. Carrying her to an empty seat at the table, Danny ignored the confused and shocked stares from his family, and focused solely on the frightened one coming from Danielle as he rubbed her back in encouragement.

"Danny, who-what-" Jazz stuttered, for once, completely at a loss for words.

"I'll answer all questions in a bit, but first," he said, looking at Danielle, "you are gonna sit here and eat something to get your strength back. Lord only knows when the last you ate was."

"But-" she started, ready to argue.

"No buts," he said sternly as he placed a sandwich, some chips and a can of soda in front of her. "Sam, Tucker and I will explain everything to them. You just worry about eating, ok?" he said. Maddie, although still confused about all of this and who this young girl was, noticed something in Danny's eye as he spoke. Something she'd seem in Jack's eye and even her own on occasion. Even though she knew nothing of this girl, she could tell that Danny cared for and had a lot of affection for her.

Danielle let out a sigh as she looked at her shoes, which had becoming very interesting in the last two minutes, but nodded her head in understanding, before picking up her sandwich and taking a small bite. Her eyes lit up instantly at the feeling and taste of the first real food she'd eaten in days that wasn't from a dumpster, and without much restraint, took a huge bite from it, almost eating half of the delicious combination of meats, veges and bread in that moment. Danny smiled, feeling better with the knowledge that she was finally getting the proper nourishment she needed, and turned back to his still stunned family.

"Um, ok, so…where to start," he said as he was becoming more nervous as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I guess I should explain who she is first. Mom, Dad, Jazz, this is Danielle, and she's…well…sort of…mine and Sam's…daughter."

"Your what!" Maddie shouted in pure shock as she rose from her seat. Danielle, suddenly filled with dread, dropped the remainder of her sandwich back onto the plate, and sank lower into her chair, contemplating if she should just disappear and sink threw the floor. "Danny, is this some kind of joke! You're fifteen years old, and even if you did have a daughter, there's no way she could possibly be this old!"

"Mom, calm down," Jazz said, grabbing a hold of her arm, but her gaze never left Danielle who was starting to shake in fear of the sudden mood change in the air. Even though she couldn't be sure, Jazz felt a connection to this girl, but at the moment, was more concerned with keeping the situation from getting out of hand. "Whatever is going on, I'm sure Danny will explain _everything_, and we can get down to the bottom of this," she said, turning her gaze to her brother, pleading with him to understand the dire situation they were in.

"Everybody, just chill out, ok?" Danny said, moving closer to Danielle, who stopped shaking once he placed a hand on her shoulder. "And, no, Mom, this is not a joke. I know it's a lot to handle and sounds really weird, but I need you to just let me explain everything." Maddie looked at him skeptically, but sat back in her seat. Danny took a deep breath, calming the rush of adrenaline that was coursing thru his veins. "I guess to start off, about 9 months ago, Vlad secretly tried to clone me."

"Vlad! I should have known that he had something to do with this," Maddie mumbled, hatred for the man seeping out of every pour of her body.

"Yeah, he did. He wanted me to become his apprentice, but when I refused, he used the old ghost fighting armor he gave Valerie to record our fights as well as get samples of my DNA. Once he had that, he planned to make a clone of me that would serve him and would destroy me so it could take my place. When he first started the process, he had made three clones using three different methods, but they all failed to come out the way he wanted. On his fourth attempt, he tried a different method, and created Danielle."

"So, she's a clone of you then?" Jazz asked.

"Well, originally, that's what we thought. However, when we were looking thru some files that she had brought back from his lab, we discovered that he had gotten a sample of Sam's DNA too."

"So, she's a clone of you with Sam's DNA in her too?"

"Actually, it's deeper than that," Sam said as she leaned against the counter. "Apparently, that fruitloop took my DNA and was somehow able to create an exact copy of what my eggs are like, and added Danny's DNA into it."

"Like a form of artificial insemination…" Maddie said as the information started to dawn on her.

"Yep. And going from where Sam left off," Tucker said, joining the conversation, "When Vlad combined their DNA, he also sped up the process to make the clones grow up quicker. If I'm correct, he only used DNA from Danny's ghost half, and somehow, it produced an X chromosome instead of a Y chromosome, possibly because the X occurs more naturally then the Y."

"He told me that he needed Danny because with his Mid-Morph DNA, he'd be able to stabilize me," Danielle said quietly, getting everyone's attention.

"Stabilize you?" Jazz asked.

Danielle nodded her head. "When any of us used our ghost powers too much, especially the others when they fought against Danny, they would fall apart and turn into ectoplasm. So, he sent each of us, but because I was smarter and actually able to infiltrate and get close to Danny, he had me pose as a distant cousin he didn't know so that he wouldn't suspect anything. I believed him, believed that he cared about me enough to actually want to save me, but Dnany didn't. He tried to tell me. He told me that I was just a mess that Vlad wasn't going to clean up, which turned out to be true because we then found out that he had made a "perfect" clone of Danny, but it wasn't ready. After coming to my senses and helping Danny fight him, along with the late arrival of Sam and Tucker, we stopped him, destroyed the clone, and then I flew off dramatically."

"After that, I didn't see her for months until she came looking for me. She was falling apart, and needed my help in getting stable. Unfortunately, Vlad had found out she was in town, and sent Valarie after her because he wanted to melt her down and study her remains to see why she lasted longer than the other clones," Danny said, his tone turning venomous at the memory.

"That sick bastard," Jazz growled. "Even if she was only a clone, she was a living being! I can't believe he would stoop that low."

"Well believe it. And that's the same thing I told Valerie. After she handed her over to Vlad, I had to convince her that even if Danielle was a ghost, she was also a human, which was the only way she was staying together. After she agreed to help me, we came back here and I grabbed the Ecto-Dejecto that Dad was working on."

"The Ecto-Dejecto?" Jack asked confused. "But why that? It's supposed to take away ghost powers."

"Yeah, but earlier when you had shown it to me, I remembered that it actually gave them power, so I grabbed it, and we flew to his mansion. When we got there, Vlad had already started to melt her, and…her screams…" he paused, looking down at Danielle, sorrow and regret in his face. "Valerie distracted him while I tried to free her, but I couldn't get her free, so I tried the Ecto-Dejecto on her. I still remember the look of fear on her face when I asked if she was ready to try it."

"I remember," Danielle said with a sad smile. "I can't break them, Danielle. You feeling brave?"

Danny couldn't help smiling at her as her words played thru his mind. "And then she said, 'A little weak in the knees, actually. And I don't even have knees anymore.' I was freaking out, praying when I sprayed her that it would work. But…she still melted. I thought I had failed her and that I was too late, but then she popped her head out of the bucket she was in, smiling at me like nothing happened, and jumped into the air where she reformed. I was so happy. Then we kicked Vlad's butt, and afterwards, I was gonna offer her a place to stay, but she said she had places to go, and flew off again.

"After that, I didn't see her again until the Disasteroid incident where she and the other ghost helped to save us all. Before I could get a chance to talk to her though, she flew off. I tried to see if anyone in the Ghost Zone knew where she was, but she was nowhere to be found. I had lost track of her, and I was sad because I knew how she was living and surviving out there on her own with no home, only one pair of clothes, having to steal or eat garbage to survive. But then she showed up at my school today, and now," he said seriously, looking at her and his parents, "She's not going anywhere."

Everyone fell silent. Maddie, who was still angry at Vlad, felt not only a sense of pride in Danny for wanting to take care of this girl, but also a strange feeling of love and the need to protect this girl. Maybe it was the fact that she looked and reminded her so much of Danny and Jazz, or maybe it was the way Danny was so adamant about caring for her and willing to do so much for a daughter he had no part in, but she knew for a fact that this girl was important and needed a home. She also knew that deep down, she was just an innocent little girl in need of a family to love and protect her.

Jazz felt pity for the girl, not because Vlad had been involved in her creation, but because she was just a little girl, not even technically a whole year old, and she'd been through so much in such a short amount of time. She'd been used, lied to, had to fight to stay alive and keep from dying at any moment, not to mention having to fight off hunger, find shelter and having to check over her shoulder at every point, just hopping that she wasn't in any danger. To top it all off, the only person she could depend on was a teenager, not much older than her, and he could only do so much while still trying to get his own life together; it was no wonder she was always running off after the job was done. She didn't want to be a burden on him.

Jack didn't know how to feel. Angry or sad. His old friend, a man who he had trusted for so long, had tried to take over the world, steal the love of his life and get his son to turn against him. Then, when that didn't work, he tried to clone his son, and put this young girl through so much pain and torture, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. He remembered all too well what it felt like when he thought that he had lost Danny when the Ops-Center Rocket plummeted into the side of the mountain and Jazz had told them that Danny was really the ghost boy. He thought his son was gone, but he was wrong; seconds later, Danny had come flying out of the portal, safe and sound. But her? The one person who had raised her, who she thought loved her, tried to throw her away like trash. It made him sick, and he knew if he ever found Vlad, he wouldn't hesitate to get rid of him.

"So…you've had a daughter for this long, and you never told us? Or even me, who's known your secret longer then Mom and Dad?" Jazz asked, a little hurt. She thought that they had gotten past the secrets, but now, she wasn't so sure.

Danny, seeing the sad look on her face, shook his head. "I knew she existed, but I never knew she was my daughter until she showed up at my school. Whenever I saw her, I always considered her a cousin, maybe even a sister, but she was always gone, and I knew if I told you about her, you'd be just as worried about her as I was. I didn't want you having to worry about me worrying about her, and I always planned on telling you guys about her, but I wanted to wait for the right time, like when I found her," he smiled.

"Well, better late than never," she said with a smile back. "Although, I gotta say that this is a lot of information to take in all at once."

"I'll say. I just found out I have a daughter. I can't imagine how _my _parents are gonna react," Sam said shaking her head in sadness.

"Well, we don't _have _to tell them," Danielle said quietly. "We could all just keep quiet about this and I could, I don't know….just leave…"

"Absolutely not!" All four Fentons said at the same time. Danny blinked a few times before turning to look at the rest of his family.

"Young lady, you are not going anywhere. You are a part of this family, and I will not have anyone in this family, especially not my granddaughter, living out on the streets alone," Maddie said in a stern tone.

"Gra-grand…daughter? You mean-"

"That's right, you're a Fenton, and we Fentons stick together," Jack said, wrapping a strong arm around Danielle.

"Danielle, it doesn't matter how or why you're here. So long as you've got even a bit of Fenton DNA in your blood, you are family," Jazz said with a smile.

Danielle looked from her then to Maddie and Jack, completely in shock. Here, she thought they would hate her, that they would call her an abomination or some kind of twisted, messed up experiment that Vlad had created for his own horrible purposes. But now, here she was, in the world's best, maybe not the brightest, but the best ghost hunters' house, having just met her paternal grandparents, and instead of turning her away, they've embraced her, ready to take her in as their own as if her past meant nothing. Tears came to her eyes as she looked down, closing her eyes tight and letting a small sob shake her form. For once, she wasn't crying tears of pain and sorrow, but of love and joy.

"Thank you…" she managed to get out as she was consumed by hugs from all three, causing her to cry even harder.

Danny smiled as he looked over at Tucker who gave him a thumbs up for another job well done. Turning toward Sam, however, caused his smile to falter as she still wore the same sour look she had earlier. Without saying a word, Danny raised his eyebrow, questioning what was on her mind. Sam caught the look and made her way into the living room with Danny close behind.

"Everything alright, Sam?"

"No, everything is not alright, Danny," She snapped, turning around to look at him. "How can you be so calm and passive about all of this craziness?"

"About what? Being responsible and wanting to take care of my daughter?" he asked, anger growing in his tone.

"Yes! I mean, think about it! In the last 2 hours, Danielle shows up to give us all this information about her and Vlad and how she was created. Then, we dig into the information only find out she's not a clone of you, but a daughter we never knew we had. To top it all off, we tell your parents all this, and you've barely batted an eye!"

"Well, Sam, guess what? I don't know what else you expect me to do! I mean, yea this new stuff about Danielle is shocking and really strange, even more so then when I first got my ghost powers. But she's here and needs a place to live, and a family to help take care of her. Sure, I never thought I'd be a father at fifteen, but she's my responsibility, and I don't want anyone other than me raising her. Well, nobody except maybe her mother," he said, calming down as he looked into Sam's eyes. "Look, I know this is weird, I know this is something you never expected, but she's my daughter, and yours. I want her to have both her parents in her life and I want you to be a part of it." Lifting his hand, he slowly stroked his thumb against her cheek, causing her expression to soften a bit and her anger to quell slightly. "I love you Sam, and I love Danielle. I know it's tough to just jump into such a big life change, and I'm not asking you to jump right into it, but I am asking you to help me, even if it's just moral support. I need you to be strong for me, Sammie," he said with a small smile.

Sam stared at Danny, not sure of what to say, before closing her eyes and leaning into his palm with a small smile. "Don't call me Sammie," she whispered. "Look at you. Always with your stupid hero complex. It's gonna be the death of me one day, I swear." She pulled him closer, kissing him and just letting them relax in the moment before continuing. "I don't know how I'll react to this whole thing. I might not like it, but maybe I will. It'll take some getting used to, and I can't promise I'll be the best mom for her…but I do know that I love you and that if she's important to you, then I'll do my best for her."

Danny smiled as he held her close. "Thanks Sam."

"Well, I guess I can't really trust you and Tucker to raise her. Who knows what you two would teacher her. She's already like you enough as is, and Tucker, I don't know even want to know what kinda damage he could do to her," She said with a smile.

"This coming from the rebellious Goth girl? Though, you might be right about Tucker."

"Well, if she is my daughter and is anything like me, then you'd better prepare yourself for a very serious and very nerve racking rebellious phase."

"Fine, how about we make a deal?"

"I'm listening."

"I'll deal with the attitude from her and the back sass and everything that comes with being rebellious if you promise to back me up when needed and if I get to pick the phase you have to deal with. Deal?"

Sam looked him in the eye, trying to decipher what it was that he was trying to do. She knew Danny was up to something, but in the moment, she didn't really feel as though it was something to be too concerned about.

"Alright, you got yourself a deal," she said, kissing him to seal their agreement. "So, what problem do I get, huh? Not that it can be as bad as what you got. Acne? Popularity? Dating?"

"Haha. Oh man, you do not know how stuck you just got yourself. You, my dear, have to deal with her in puberty," he said with a grin.

"Ok. That doesn't seem so bad. I probably would have gotten stuck trying to explain that to her anyway. I'm pretty sure if you and Tucker tried to explain to her how the female body works, you'd crash and burn faster than Dash does on an English test," she smirked back at him.

"Oh, by the way, that includes having to give her the Birds and the Bees Talk," he said as his grin turned into a full blown smile at the horrified look on her face. "Though, I'm sure you'll a much better job than your parents did when they gave it to you."

"Fine," Sam huffed. "That is so unfair, Danny, and you know it. You planned this, I can tell. Hopefully, I won't have to worry about that for a few more years because that is one awkward talk I'd rather not have to have with anyone at all."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I can always be there when you do so I can give a little bit of advice, and definitely, enjoy watching you squirm under the awkwardness that will be taking place." Danny couldn't help smiling at the pout that Sam gave him, and kissed her temple. "Come on, let's get Tucker and get out of here so we can have that movie night." Taking her by the hand, he lead them back into the kitchen where he found Danielle had transformed, and seemed to re-enacting a battle she had fought.

"And then I kicked him across the sky, and haven't seen him since."

"Amazing. You must be a really skilled fighter," Maddie said. "And such a cute one at that."

"Of course she is, she's a Fenton!" Jack proclaimed. "And we Fentons are the best at everything!"

"Well, I did learn from the best," she blushed, sneaking a quick glance at Danny.

"So, Tuck, you ready for that movie night?" Danny said.

"You bet! This weekend is gonna be awesome!"

"We're having a movie night at Sam's house, Dani. You wanna come with us or stay here with your grandparents and aunt?"

"I wanna go with you guys!" she said excitedly as she flew over to him and jumped onto his back. She let out a small giggle and planted a kiss on his cheek, making him smile.

"Oh, she's good," Tucker said.

"Yep. Looks like someone is gonna be a daddy's girl. Especially with the way she's already got him wrapped around her little finger," Sam said with a smile as she felt a bit of peace, somehow knowing that even in the middle of all the chaos that has happened, that everything was going to be ok.


	4. Chapter 4: ScreamOver

Chapter 4: Scream-Over

"So, you guys have any movies in mind?" Tucker asked while scrolling threw his PDA's movie database. "I was thinking Blood Zombies 4: BloodFest."

"Ooh, yeah! That sounds great! I heard that if you watch it in complete darkness, you're guaranteed to wet your pants!" Danielle said as she walked in front of the group.

"Um, yeah, no," Sam said, giving Danielle a quick eye as she walked side by side with Danny. "There is no way _you_ are watching an R rated movie, especially not Blood Zombies 4. Plus, I don't want ANY of you guys peeing all over my family's theater chairs."

"Ah come on, why not?"

"Well first off, you're twelve, at least physically, but in actuality, you're only a few months old. Your mind may not be able to handle all of that gore, and it could scar you for life. Second, R rated movies have explicit material like cursing and nudity that you really don't need to see. And third, it'll give you nightmares, and if you're anything like Danny was when he was a kid, you're probably prone to bed wetting, and that could be a real problem," she finished, smirking at the light pink color that painted Danny's face.

"Ah, jeez Sam. I was like seven when that happened. Can't you just let it go?" Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand as his right was being held by the same Goth girl poking fun at him.

"Actually, you were 11, and I highly doubt that you would let it go if someone peed in your bed, that you were sleeping in as well, during a sleepover all because he couldn't handle a PG-13 horror movie, that wasn't even that bad."

"Ew, gross!" Danielle said as she laughed at Danny's more than slightly awkward disposition. "But I still don't see why I can't watch the movie. I'm way braver, and there's no way I'm gonna let some fake movie scare me like it did him."

"I agree with her," Tucker said.

"Hey!" Danny yelled.

"Not about you, though that's probably true too. I meant about her being ok to watch it. I mean, she's fought against people like Vlad and Valerie before she was helping us. If that's not the stuff of nightmares, I don't know what is."

"See? Tucker agrees with me," Danielle boasted as she crossed her arms in what she thought was victory.

"Well, considering that thanks to him, everyone except me, Valerie and Sam failed the parenting assignment, and the fact that out of everyone in the class, Sam was the only one who got an A, I'm pretty sure we can all see who is the better parent," Danny said, smiling at the scowl his friend gave him. "Besides, it's Sam's house, and she's is your mother-"

"It's gonna take some time getting used to being called that," Sam said with a sigh.

"Tell me about it. Anyway, she gets final say. I mean, I'm sure you can handle it, after all, you are the bravest kid I've ever known, but I'm leaving this one up to her. Whatever she decides, I'll support her."

"Aww, thanks Danny," Sam said, placing a kiss on his cheek,

"Eww, ok, can we refrain from doing that when I'm in the immediate vicinity?" Danielle said, scrunching her face up in disgust. "And thanks for your help," she said, giving Danny a small glare to which he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Come on, please?" She pleaded.

"Danielle, I said-"

"Pleeeeaaaase?" She said again with her fingers interlaced and puppy dog pout on her face, complete with big, sad eyes. Sam bit back the urge to "Aww" at the cute display on the young girls face, knowing she'd never hear the end of it, especially from Tucker. Although she was ready to deny the young girl just a moment before, her resolved was breaking very quickly.

_No, Sam. You can't give in. This is for her own good, and if you give in now, she's gonna take advantage of it, and think she can just throw those eyes at you whenever she wants something. You have to resist the eyes…Danny's eyes…the same eyes he gives me…Damn it. No! Stay strong!_

But before Sam could finally put her foot down, the last wall of her defenses fell as tears started coming to Danielle's eyes. That was all it took for Sam because before she could even fully process what was happening, she sighed and looked away from Danielle.

"Alright! Alright! If you it really means that much to you, we'll watch the movie," she said in defeat.

"Yes!" Danielle cheered instantly cutting off the crocodile tears she had started.

"Wow. I didn't think Sam was gonna fall for that. She must be getting soft," Tucker said with a smirk.

"What did you just say!" Sam yelled, turning around to her friend, a look of death on her face.

"Who me?" He said nervously. "Nothing being said here. Just me and my PDA, minding our own business."

"That's what I thought. And let me make myself clear now," she said, pointing a finger at the other three. "If this movie is too much for her, it's over. I will not be cleaning up pee from anyone, got it!" she yelled, scaring them as they nodded their heads in response.

"Well…" Danny started, waiting to see if Sam was done ranting. Once sure that she was, he continued. "We might as well get this movie night started. Besides, how bad could it be?"

Two hours later, a young girl's screams were all that could be heard as they filled the halls of the Manson's home.

"NO! Don't go in there!"

Danielle screamed at the movie as she clutched tight onto the right side of Danny's shirt and buried her face into his ribs, trying desperately but failing to muffle the screams that continued to come from her mouth. On the right side of the room, Tucker sat in a recliner, fingers digging into the plush armrest like his life depended on it as he shook like a weak leaf in the middle of a storm. Danny, who according to the death grip his daughter had on him, seemed to be the only thing protecting her from the gory onslaught happening before her very eyes, but jumped up from his seat for what must have been the fifteenth time from the constant screams he heard, whether they were from Danielle, the movie, or, to everyone's surprise, Sam, who was seated on the left side of him and hugging his arm for dear life.

"Ok! That's it! This movie is over!" Sam declared as she pressed the power button on the remote, effectively shutting off the TV. She quickly got to her feet and paced around the room while rubbing her arms, trying to steady and ease her nerves.

"Well, that was…" Danny said as he finally found his voice, but soon lost it again.

"The absolute worst thing we could have shown to an 8 month old young girl in a 12 years body?" Sam finished for him in annoyance as she walked back over to the couch and picked up a very hysterical Danielle who instinctively curled up into a ball in her arms, muttering to herself about zombies, blood and chainsaws. Sam held her as she paced around the room even more, hoping to calm her. "Jeez, she's shaking worse than California during an earthquake. This is exactly why Tucker is never a good argument point. This is all his fault."

"Noted. How's she doing?" Danny asked as he got to his feet and walked over to them.

"Zombies…bloody zombies…chainsaws…body parts everywhere…" Danielle said quietly.

"That answer your question?" Sam said sourly. "It's ok, Danielle. There are no zombies with chainsaws anywhere. There may be blood and body parts though because once I get my hands on Danny and Tucker, well…" she turned to glare at them both, but mostly at Tucker who had yet to realize that the movie was no longer playing and was still holding onto the armrest. "Clueless."

"Look, Sam, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was gonna be that bad," Danny said.

"I know you are, and I know you didn't know about the movie. But it's not me you should be worried about. What are we gonna do about her?" she asked as she looked at Danielle.

"Here, let me try," he said, holding his arms out. "You know, for not knowing how you were gonna react to all this, you're actually a natural born mother," he said with a toothy smile.

"Um, yeah, I guess I am," Sam said with a blush and a smile as she handed the small girl over to her father.

"Hey now, what are you so scared of? Remember, you're the toughest kid ever? You've faced things way scarier than anything in that movie. You used to live with Vlad!"

"Ye-yeah…but ghost don't bleed like that or have decaying goop coming from their bodies," she muttered, calming as Danny started to rub her back.

"Yeah, but is any of that really scarier than having lived with Vlad? And don't forget, it's just a movie, so none of its real."

Danielle couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. "I guess you're right. Nothing is scarier than having to having to put up with that fruitloop," she said, snuggling up to him and yawning from the long day she'd had.

"Well we'd better get going. It's almost midnight and you should have been in bed almost two hours ago."

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes a little, but kept her head against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat soothing her.

"Actually, why don't you guys crash here? My parents are still out of town for a few weeks and my grandma won't mind," Sam said, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Plus, it might be good to have Danielle spend her first night with her family together. Especially after a movie like this."

"Good for her or good for her over protective mother?" Danny said with a grin that made Sam, once again, blush. "That sounds good to me. What do you think, Ellie?"

"Don't call me that," she grumbled tiredly.

"Ellie?" Sam smiled.

"A nickname I gave her. She doesn't like it as much as Dani, but I think it fits. Plus, it can help get rid of some of the confusion with our names."

"Aww. I think its acute nickname, Danielle."

"Whatever," she said with another eye roll, but smiled despite her dislike for the nickname. "Anyway, I'm in for staying."

"Alright, then it's settled. Why don't you take Ellie and help her get ready for bed. I'll give mine and Tucker's parents a call."

"Cool. And while you're at it, see if you can help fraidy cat Foley over there," she smirked. "There's a pair of pliers in the bottom drawer behind the counter if you need them."

Almost an hour later, everyone was showered, phone calls had been made, teeth had been brushed, and the feeling in Tucker's fingers was finally coming back. The four teens piled into Sam's room where she had laid out four sleeping bags on the floor. Danielle took the first one closest to the door, via Sam's recommendation, with Danny next to her, followed by Sam, and Tucker with the last one, closest to the window.

"How are the pajamas, Danielle?" Sam asked as she placed a few extra pillows around the room.

"A little big, but not too bad," she said as she walked into the room wearing a small black silk pajama set.

"Sorry, those were the only ones I could find that had a chance of fitting you on such short notice. We'll go shopping this weekend and get you some new clothes."

"Oh, it's ok. I kinda like them," she smiled as everyone sat in a circle in the center of the room.

"Oh great. As if one Goth in this family wasn't enough," Danny groaned, receiving a smack across the head from both girls. "Speaking of getting things, how soon do you think you can get that birth certificate and those adoption papers, Tuck?"

"Well seeing as I'm the mayor, I can get the adoption papers signed and together for you guys by the end of the day Monday. It'll only take me a few hours to hack into the government records and add her, so you guys should decide on the details quick," he said as he stood up and made his way to the door. "I'm gonna head downstairs and snag another slice of that pizza we were eating."

"Well, obviously we're gonna say she was born somewhere other than Amity Park," Danny said. "We could just say she was born in Colorado since that's technically true and since it was done in a remote forest area, no one will know she even lived out there."

"Ok, so now we just have to decide on her name," Sam said.

"What do you mean? I already have a name, duh," Danielle said, rolling her eyes.

"What I mean, is usually parents will decide on whether they will give their child a middle name, and depending on how their relationship is, if unmarried, they choose whose last name the child will get."

"Oh, ok. So…do I have a middle name?" Danielle asked, looking back and forth between Danny and Sam.

"Well, I hadn't really thought of one. What about you Sam?" Danny asked.

"Well, I was thinking Lilith."

"Lilith? Wasn't that the name you gave to the flower sack you and Tucker had during the parenting assignment?" he said with a laugh. "Tuck's right, you can't let it go!"

Before Sam could make a comeback, a loud crash erupted throughout the room as the door flew open, startling everyone. In the doorway stood a masked man, brandishing a chainsaw and laughing maniacally. Both Danielle and Sam screamed, the former grabbing a hold of her mother and crying into her chest. Before Danny could even finish getting to his feet, an Ecto-Blast shot across the room, hitting the chainsaw wielding maniac square in the chest.

Danny turned to see the green smoke still coming from Danielle's outstretched hand while her face was still buried in Sam's pajama shirt. Danny walked over to her and tried to quiet her before turning to glare at the person on the ground behind him.

"Jeez, Tucker, what the hell's wrong with you?"

"Tucker?" Sam said, looking around Danny to see that it was indeed the Techno-geek lying on the ground with the mask now situated on his head. "Tucker! What the hell! I should skin you alive for this!"

"Ugh. Hey, don't get mad at me! It was your grandma's idea!" he shouted.

"My grandma? What are you talking about?" she said, but turned her attention back to Danielle who still had tears coming down her face as she hyperventilated.

"After the movie, I ran into your grandma and she said she had found out your parents had installed cameras in your room to watch you and Danny in case you two were, "doing something awful that could result in something that would embarrass the family". Well, your grandma found the camera, and when she heard us watching the movie and all the screaming, she was planning on trying to scare us. Well when I ran into her and found out she was gonna do that, she paid me a hundred bucks to charge in here and scare the living crap out of all of you."

"Dude, that is so wrong," Danny said with a scowl.

"Maybe. But this makes it so right," he said with a grin as he held up the hundred dollar bill.

"Wow. I don't know who to be more pissed at; you and my grandma for this stupid prank, or my parents for spying on me," Sam said in a dark tone. Her parents were always doing things like this.

They never liked her choices in clothes, her choice in music and decorations, or anything else she liked. But the thing that made her the angriest was that they never like Danny. It never made any sense to Sam. She's known Danny and Tucker since they were kids, and yet they always had something against him. First, they blamed him for the fact that she was Goth. She never understood that when he himself never wore black, with the exception of him Phantom costume. Then they blamed him and his parents because of the ghost attacks that happened in town. Her mother was always going on about how weird they were and how they were freaks, but never seemed to have any problem when he was saving their butts. And things didn't get much better, probably worse in fact, when Danny's secret came out at the South Pole and her parents discovered he was Phantom. Needless to say, her mother hit the roof, while her father, although feeling uneasy about the whole thing, saw that his daughter cared for the boy very much. Her mother demanded that she break up with Danny because it was too dangerous for her to be dating a half ghost freak, regardless of how many times he's saved everyone in town and protected her with his life. Sam shouted and screamed back and forth with her mother for almost an hour before storming off to her room and declaring that she would do no such thing and that her mother get used to it before she lost her and cut off all ties to them.

Sam's grandma was more than angry at Pamela for the way she acted and treated her daughter's friend. She knew that Danny was a good boy and that he'd never do anything to try to hurt Sam or anyone else, and that even though he knew how much her parents disliked him and disrespected his parents, that he was always polite and respectful of them and their home. Jeremy agreed with his mother on this matter, not only because everything she said was true, but also because of his love for his daughter. Though he hated having to go back and forth with her on everything, he never wanted to lose her, and he knew Pamela didn't either.

After some time, things did go back to normality in the Manson home, but Sam's relationship with her mother was still a bit strained, especially with Danny around. This of course was her main fear not only because of how her parents would react to Danielle, but also because she never wanted to have this kind of relationship with her. Contrary to what she's said about loving to piss her parents off, it hurt Sam. Sure, on small things like clothes, she didn't mind. But when it came to her friends and to the way she did things, it hurt her because she always felt as if it was only a matter of time before she drifted away from them, and that was the absolute last thing she wanted.

"_You're_ mad? I'm the one who got blasted with an Ecto-Blast! And look at my shirt!" he said as he examined the new hole in the front of it where a new burn mark was starting to form.

Sam rolled her eyes and stood up to help her fallen friend. "I'll help the psycho over here and get him a new shirt. You keep Dani company."

Danny nodded his head and watched his friends leave before turning back to the still shaken girl. "You know, if you don't breath normally, you gonna go from a halfa to a full ghost," he smirked as he cradled the girl to his chest. Danielle pushed herself off to glare up at him, a glare equivalent to that of Sam's.

"Tucker. Is. Horrible!" she screeched.

"Yeah. Good thing he's only your godfather," Danny smiled before the concern returned to his face. "Are you ok? You want me to get you some water or something?"

"No…I'll be alright. I might have to kill Tucker though," she said as she stood up and headed to the door. "I'll…be back." Danielle quickly ran into the hallway and down to the spare bathroom as Sam and Tucker were in the other one. Danny stared after her, confused, before he heard the sounds of the toilet flushing. Danny couldn't help the loud sound of his laughter as it echoed down the hallway. "Shut up! It's not funny!" Danielle yelled back.

After everyone was back together and all taken care of, Danielle punched Tucker in the arm where a bruise was sure to form, and yelled at him about the prank. Tucker, still rubbing his arm, promised to make it up to her before they all went to bed.

Everyone was sound asleep except Danielle who kept waking up every time she fell asleep from the many nightmares. Looking at the nightstand, she sighed. It was 2 am. She'd only been trying to sleep for a little over an hour, and she was failing miserably. Trying to keep quiet, she crawled over to Danny and Sam, snuggling herself in between the two, and couldn't help the smile that came onto her face at the warmth and protection she got from her new parents.

Unbeknownst to her, Danny and Sam were both still awake. Danny couldn't help be feel like his life was somehow perfect in that moment as he looked into the eyes of his girlfriend and felt the warmth from his daughter, the two most important people in his life. Sam quickly pulled herself closer and wrapped her arms around Danielle as Danny wrapped his around her.

"Night, Sam. Night, Danielle," he whispered, kissing Sam on the lips and Danielle on the head.

"Night, Danny. Night, Ellie," she smirked.

"Don't…call me that…" Danielle instinctively muttered as she continued to slip into the dark void of sleep. Her parents smiled and too fell into the unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5: Pressed to Shop

Chapter 5: Pressed to Shop

"I'm telling you, her last name should be Fenton," Sam said for the 20th time that morning. Danny's stubbornness was really starting to get on her nerves, especially this early in the morning.

"Yeah, but Sam, if she has your last name, it'll be easier to lie about a mysterious kid in the family that suddenly shows up," Danny said eating another strip of bacon.

"I kinda see where Danny's coming from," Tucker said. "I mean, everyone already knows all about the Fenton's, especially with Danny's secret being out in the open. They know for a fact that they only have _2 _kids, Jazz and Danny. It'd be hard to lie about something like that since they look so similar, but if she had your last name, we could try to pull it off as a coincidence and say that you had a younger sister that you're not supposed to talk about and your parents sent her off to boarding school to keep her from becoming rebellious like you."

"Hey! I'm not rebellious!" Danielle said with her mouth full of pancakes.

"I never said you were, it's just a possible excuse. Though I'm sure with Sam _and _Danny's DNA, it's only a matter of time," Tucker said with a grin.

"Watch it, Tucker," Sam said darkly. "Anyway, maybe we should just let her decide. I mean it is her name, and this affects her more than it does any of us."

The trio got quiet and looked at the young halfa who had stopped mid-way threw her sixth pancake, and looked deep in thought.

"Well, I guess if I had to choose between the names, I guess….I'd pick…Fenton," she said with a smile.

"Well, I guess that settles that," Sam said with a smug smile. "Besides, we already told Lancer that she was your cousin. It'd be kinda hard to explain later when she's in high school how she's both _your_ cousin and _my_ little sister, while the two of us are dating cause that would make us cousins, and that would just be wrong. Also, I really doubt my parents would go along with that. You know how they are."

"Good point," Danny said as he ran a hand threw his messy black hair, a smile on his face. "So that settles. You are officially Danielle Lilith Fenton."

"Ugh. It sounds so weird to have a full name like that. Though, it does have a nice ring to it," she said with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, well with a grin like that, I can already hear him yelling it out in anger from something sneaky that you've done," Tucker said, drinking some orange juice from his glass, before choking when a headline from a local news channel ran across his PDA. "Oh man! Are you serious!"

"What is it, Tuck?" Danny asked.

"This!" he said, turning on the TV that resided in the kitchen. The other three occupants were shocked when a photo of Danielle in her ghost form, fighting a ghost bug came up with a caption "First a Ghost _Boy_ and now a _Girl_?"

"_Lance Thunder here, reporting on some startling news. There's a new ghost in town, and she's taking the city by storm,"_ he said as pictures flicked across the screen to various people with costumes and dolls of her.

"Wow. That didn't take long," Sam said with a roll of her eyes.

"_Although little is known about this little lady, she seems to resemble Amity Park's own, Danny Phantom. Could this girl be here to move in on his turf and bring a new challenge for our young hero, or is she a new ghost, trying to make her way in this world? We cannot be certain as we have yet to find out if she's even a good ghost or an evil one."_

"What!" Danny yelled, clenching his fist. "She's barely been here a day and the press is already turning her into a pariah!"

"Whoa, easy there, big guy," Sam said as she placed her hand on Danny's left one. "Take a breath, calm yourself. I know it's aggravating that the press is trying to make a little girl look like a villain, but it's gonna be ok." Danny nodded his head, breathing in deeply through his nose to stead his anger.

"Wait a moment," Lance said, pushing his ear piece further into his ear to hear better. "We have exclusive footage, taken by an anonymous viewer that clearly shows both Danny Phantom and the mysterious girl talking before embracing each other in a hug and flying off together. Is it possible that this girl is a friend of his, or even a distant relative of his? Earlier, our news crews went to Fenton Works to try to get the scoop."

"Oh no," Danny said, smacking his hand over his face.

"_I'm sorry to say that we can not reveal any information to you at this time,_" Maddie said as she, Jack and Jazz stood on their front porch, still in their pajamas. Danny looked up in surprise.

"_If you want any information, you're going to have to talk to Danny, but he's not here at the moment, and we do not know when he will be back, nor will we tell you where he is_," Jazz said as she crossed her arms.

"Wow. Your family's really got your back on this," Danielle said.

"_Our _family," he said with a smile before turning back to the screen.

"_Now then, since it is only 7:30 in the morning, we'd like to go back to sleep," _Maddie said with a frighteningly smile. Danny, Sam and Tucker knew that smile all too well; the smile that she'd given them many times before that said "Do as I say". Danielle, unconsciously, shivered as though the smile was telling her something that she should already know.

"_Yeah, so all you vultures get off my lawn!" _Jack yelled, pulling out a Fenton bazooka and firing randomly into the air, causing the news crews to run in fear. Danny, Sam and Tucker couldn't help their chorus of laughter as they looked upon the TV where the camera was moving every which way with the running camera man. Danielle, though finding Jack's reaction funny, couldn't help be feel like she'd been left in the dark.

"I don't get it. What's so funny?" she asked.

"It's just funny to see someone else on the receiving end of Dad's weapons," Danny said.

"Ohhhh. Ok," she said.

"_As of right now, Danny has yet to be reached for any information, but we will update you on anything we find. For now, I'm Lance Thunder."_

"Great. It's only a matter of time before they find us, especially since we're going to the mall," Sam sighed. "Well, might as well get this over with. We should probably get ready."

"I agree with Sam. We might as well get this over with," Danny said, rubbing his hand threw his hair, yet again. "Should we just stick with the cousins story?"

"That's probably our best bet. No reason to let everyone in on our private business. That and trying to sit there and explain all of this to them would be impossible."

"I agree," Tucker said, tapping his PDA one last time before showing it to the others. "I've already got your back story ready for you, Danielle."

"Really?" she asked, taking his PDA from him. "Wow, thanks Tucker."

"No problem. It even explains how you got your ghost powers. Think as of this as a little apology for scaring you so bad last night."

"Apology accepted," she said with a grin. "So, what's my story?"

"Simple. You're still Danny's third cousin, once removed, but now, you're living with his family because your family died in a tragic accident that you barely survived. When you were in the hospital, you needed a blood transfusion, and Danny was the only compatible person, which gave you your powers. In retrospect, this whole thing is just like a campaign race. Also, when I make your birth certificate, I'll make two; one fake one with your fake dead parents names on it, and a real one with your half dead dad and your mother who always talks about death and despair," he said with a grin as Sam and Danny glared at him for a moment.

"Regardless of that last statement, I'm pretty impressed, Tucker," Sam said.

"What can I say, ever since the Ember incident where you guys left me tied to the study crammer for 12 hours, I try to use my knowledge for the greater good," he shrugged with a grin. "Oh, and Danielle, when the press ask you about your family, you're have to pour on the sympathy factor. Draw out a few tears if you can," he said, turning back to her. But his smile soon fell as he saw her sniffle and tears coming to her eyes. "Whoa, are you ok?"

"I-I'm it's just-" she stuttered before putting her hands over her face and sobbing.

"Hey! Hey, I'm sorry! If it was something I said, I'm really sorry!" he said, panicking. He turned to Sam and Danny for help, but was confused as both were holding back their laughter. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong with them, he turned to Danielle whose body was shaking, not with sobs or tears, but with laughter. "No way! You did not just fake me out!" Tucker yelled in exasperation. Turning his gaze onto his two friends, he couldn't help the glare he gave the two. "Oh, that is so messed up. She is definitely your daughter."

"Like you said, it's like a political race. Maybe I should run for a position when I get older," Danielle said with a grin.

"Well you're gonna need better grades then Danny," Sam said, smirking at her boyfriend. "Anyway, now that we have that settled, let's get ready and hit the mall." They all nodded and stood up to go get dressed. "Uhh, Danny, can I talk to you really quick?"

"Sure," he said, giving his daughter and friend a look that said "beat it". The two exited the room, while Danny took his seat again and held Sam's hand. "So, what's up?"

Sam closed her eyes and sighed, which worried Danny a bit, but he didn't say anything while Sam contemplated how she was going to tell him this without hurting his feelings.

"Danny…you are a clueless, but caring, fool," she said bluntly.

Danny blinked a few times, taken off guard for a moment. "Jeez, Sam. What did I do this time?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. But the reason I was so bent on Danielle having your last name instead of mine is…well…I didn't want her feeling anymore left out or awkward then she may already feel."

"I don't understand."

"Well, if we get married one day and have kids, they'll all have the last name Fenton. But if she had my last name, I'm worried she wouldn't feel like she was ours. It may-"

"Make her feel like she didn't belong, and you're afraid of how it would affect her since she may already feels like she doesn't with us because she wasn't born to us and spent her entire life thinking she was a clone," he said smacking himself on the forehead. "Damn. I should have seen that too. I'm such an idiot. And a bad dad…"

"Stop it," she said with an annoyed tone. "You are not a bad dad. You are sweet, caring and wonderful. But let's just chalk this one up to mother's intuition."

Danny smiled back at her before kissing her lips passionately. "Thanks, Sam. Now, I'm even more glad you're here to help me."

"Me too. And now that we've gotten that out of the way, I wanna talk to you about something else."

"I'm guessing you wanted to use that as extra leverage for whatever you're gonna ask for now," he smirked.

"No, but now that I think about it, it does help my case a little."

An hour later, everyone was dressed and ready to go. Danielle, having no other clothes to wear after Sam had thrown her old ones out, kept her silk pajamas pants on and put on one of Sam's hoodies, though it was still too big for her.

"Should I go into ghost form?" Danielle asked.

"Don't bother. If they know you're my cousin, they'll be all over the house and will see you in human form. Once they find that out and find out my cousin is living with us at the same time that my ghost cousin shows up, they'll put two and two together," Danny said, placing a hand on her head, and ruffling her hair a little. As they opened the door, they were met with a crowd of camera flashes and reporters, all yelling questions to Danny at the same time. "Or they may show up here and do it," he said with a sigh.

Danielle, becoming increasingly nervous, took a few steps back to hide behind Sam and Danny before bumping into Tucker.

"Hey! Hey!" Danny shouted, trying to calm them down, however no one seemed to hear him. "Everyone, shut up!" he yelled, turning his eyes bright green for a moment, causing everyone to fall silent. "Now, we don't have all day for this, nor a whole lot of patience for it either, so, we'll take a few questions. You?" he said, pointing to a reporter in the front.

"Danny, who was that girl you were hugging yesterday? Is she a friend of yours or possibly family? And will she be taking over ghost fighting for you?"

Danny rolled his eyes. Weren't they all supposed to be allowed only one question at a time? "Ok, in order: her name is Danielle, aka, Dani Phantom. And that's Dani spelled D-A-N-I. Do NOT forget the I. Yes, she is a part of my family, and no, she will not be taking my place as the town's protector, but she will help with the ghost problem if and when possible. Next?"

"Danny, Tina Ross from channel 17. You said she's a member of your family. How are the two of you related?"

Danielle stepped up and looked at the crowd. "We're…cousins…" she said nervously, not knowing exactly how to address the questions or the stares as the reporters soon turned their gaze to her. "I'm Danny's third cousin, once removed."

"And what is your name?" another reporter asked.

"My name is…" she paused for a moment, glancing at Sam and Danny who were each standing on one side of her, before continuing. "My name is Danielle Lilith Fenton, and it's nice to meet you all," she broadcasted proudly with a smile.

"So, you're Danny's cousin. Does that mean you too know and are related to this new ghost girl?"

Danielle rolled her eye. _And he said that they'd figure it out…_

"No, genius. I AM the ghost girl!" she said as the two white rings flashed around her belly button and lit up her entire body. The familiar sensation engulfed her as one ring rose and the other fell to the ground. The crowd watched in awe, some taking pictures and video, as her pajamas and hoodie turned into a black and white two piece hazmat suit, complete with gloves and boots, her midnight black hair, ponytail included, turn snow white and her icy blue eyes turn bright green. Danielle smirked at the bewildered looks on the reporters faces, and looked over her left shoulder at Danny who too was smirking. "Now, any other questions?" she asked. As soon as she asked, all the reporters started shouting at her again, causing her smirk to fall. "One at a time, one at a time!"

"Danielle, how did you come to live here in Amity Park?"

"Um…" she stalled, trying to remember the story Tucker and she had practiced for the last hour. "I've recently moved into and have been adopted by my cousin and his family."

"Is it because of your ghost powers? And how did you acquire them?"

Danielle had to hold back the smirk that she so badly wanted to show, a definite trait she received from her mother. She knew that this was her cue to turn on the 'poor, innocent, traumatized child act' she'd been told to use. Slowly, she tilted her head down a little, putting a sad look on her face as her fake tears started to come. All of the reporters were shocked, some even feeling sorry for the young girl, but continued to listen closely.

"I-I'm he-here because-" she stuttered, heaving in and out a little, "because, I lost my family in a fire." Many of the reporters gasped, taking down notes for later reports. "It happened about eight months ago. My Mom and Dad's names were George and Melissa Fenton. Both worked from home, my father as a computer technician and my mother ran her own online business where she made handmade stuffed animals. Because of this, they home schooled me and my older sister, London." She paused to try and choke back a sob while wiping tears from her eyes. Sam bent down and kneeled next her, wrapping her arms around the cry girl while Danny put a hand on Danielle's shoulder, pretending to give her comfort.

"One night, an electrical fire started in our house. London and I shared a room, so she woke me up and guided me toward the door that lead outside. I thought she was right behind me, but never got the chance to check because as soon as I got outside, I was picked up by the paramedics, and eventually passed out. When I woke up, Danny and his family were there as my next of kin. They told me that I was lucky to survive because Danny gave me some of his blood in a transfusion, but informed me that I was the only survivor. I was devastated, and I still haven't gotten over it, especially the fact that my sister did everything she could to be sure that I got out even if it meant she had to die.

"I was also over come with gratitude because if it hadn't been for Danny, I wouldn't have survived. A few days after, Danny came to talk to me alone, where he told me about his ghost powers. He told me that with them, I'd heal faster, better and be stronger. He also told me it was a secret and that I couldn't tell the others. He said that he was sorry and that he felt bad because he felt like he cursed me instead of giving me a gift," she said, looking at him. "After about six months, my burns were completely gone, but I felt that if I stayed, I'd be nothing but a bother to Danny, especially because he'd have to help me with my powers and so, I ran away to be on my own for a while and trying to master them by myself. Needless to say, it didn't sit too well with Danny, especially after the first time I came for a visit where he chewed me out. But as I traveled, I got better, eventually even finding my way into the Ghost Zone where I lived until Danny asked us all for help to save both this world and the ghost one. After that and his revealing himself, he told me that it was time to go home, and live with him and the rest of my family, who were more than glad to take me in, and now, here I am," she said with a small smile. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be going now."

At that moment, Danny transformed, grabbing Tucker's arm while Danielle grabbed Sam's hand, then finally each others, and turned themselves invisible before taking flight and heading in the direction of the mall. 


	6. Chapter 6:The Rules of Shopping

Chapter 6: The Rules of Shopping

Once out of range of the reporters and anyone who may have been outside watching, the four finally came into view, laughing their heads off.

"That. Was. Amazing!" Tucker said. "If the political career doesn't work out, you should definitely be an actress!"

"Yeah, Ellie," Sam said with a smirk. "You almost had me believing you. And I swear, half the audience was crying."

"Don't call me that," she mumbled, but kept the smile on her face. "But thanks guys. I was getting a little nervous toward the end. I wasn't sure if anyone believed me."

"Well you did great. Unfortunately, it's only going to get more annoying from here," Danny said. "Now that they know you're here and who you are, they're going to try and dig up any info they can on you, what you've done, and things like that. The reporters are gonna be all over the place looking for us even more than usual. Other people are probably gonna be sympathetic and that's gonna get on your nerves a lot. Not to mention the…Phan Boys…"he grumbled.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Calm down. I'm 12 so I probably won't be dating any time soon anyway."

"Got that right," he retorted, making Sam smile at his overprotective behavior.

"Yeah, especially if you inherited Danny's social skills," Tucker said with a laugh. Danny glared at his friend before a mischievous idea come to mind. Danny smiled as he let his friend's arm go, relishing in the screams of fright as he plummeted out of the sky and right into an open dumpster behind the Nasty Burger.

"Dude, so not cool," he mumbled before the lid closed on top of his head. "Great, now I need another shower."

Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived at the mall, but Tucker was more than a little disgruntled about his earlier bath in thrown out food and the stains that came with it. Danny, Danielle and Sam, however found it extremely funny while the aforementioned two transformed back into their human forms.

"This is so humiliating. Do you know what's gonna happen to you two if I find even one picture of the Mayor in a dumpster in the paper?" Tucker threatened.

"Maybe that will teach you to heed my warnings more often," Danny grinned. "Now, getting back to more important matters. Our goal is to get Danielle new clothes and any essential things she may need." Sam coughed, and gave Danny a pointed look to which he smirked back at her. "Also, Sam and I have been talking, and after some negotiations, we've finally agreed on some rules that we're gonna go over before we go in."

"Ok," Danielle said, facing them both.

"First rule is an obvious one; no ghost powers unless necessary like if a ghost attacks or, if need be, escaping from the crowds. No need to draw extra attention to ourselves."

"Agreed," she said as she imagined them having to run from screaming fans who wanted an autograph or a photo with them. It was not a thought that sat well with her.

"The next one is my rule. Originally, I was going to say no skirts, but after talking with Sam who agreed to make sure they were all sensible, I ok'd it. So you are allowed to wear them, however, they CAN NOT be short then 2 inches above your knee. I catch you wearing anything smaller than that, you'll be wearing sweatpants until you're 40, got it?"

Danielle rolled her eyes, but nodded her head, knowing that arguing with him that she wasn't that kind of girl wouldn't get her anywhere.

"Next rule, body jewelry," Sam said. "I talked it over with Danny, and neither of us seems to have a problem with it."

"Really!" Danielle said, getting excited. She'd seen people with all types of piercings as she traveled around and it was something that always interested her. Many of them she thought were actually cute; though she wouldn't be caught dead saying that out loud, while others she thought were weird and probably painful. One in particular she noticed was a girl who had piercings that were all around her rib cage which made Danielle cringe and hold her body every time she thought about it.

"Yeah. But there are rules. You can get your belly button pierced, but you should probably wait until you're a little bit older. You can get your nose pierced, but only once, and you can get your ears pierced as much as you want. But let me make myself _very _clear on this," she said, becoming dangerously serious. "If I ever find out about you getting a piercing ANYWHERE below your waist, I will personally rip it out for you. Are we clear?"

"Ye-Yes ma'am," Danielle said nervously.

Sam smiled and nodded her head in satisfaction. "Good. Now, why don't we go and start off with getting you some new underwear, then we'll go and pick you out some new clothes while these two go and do whatever since I'm sure they'd rather not go shopping for women's undergarments," she said, giving them a look that they clearly knew meant 'Scram!'.

Danielle blushed at the comment but nodded her head. Normally she just wore her hoodie which was baggy enough to cover her chest, but lately it was getting a bit small, making the young girl self conscious about her slowly developing chest. Unfortunately since she didn't have any other women in her life until recently, she couldn't really talk with anyone about it, and even now that she did, she still felt a bit uncomfortable talking about it. Though she wasn't exactly looking forward to bra shopping with Sam, it would be a welcome relief to have something to help her cover up and get rid of some of her self-consciousness.

Waving a quick goodbye, the two girls headed toward the clothing stores while the guys head into the electronics store. Danny simply browsed for a while, not really finding anything he was looking for, while at Tucker was going wild like a kid in a candy store. After almost half an hour of mindless looking, Danny decided to pull his phone out and text Sam.

_-So, how's the shopping going?_

_-Not bad. We were having a bit of trouble finding things that she likes since she's so much like you….lol_

_-Lol. Yea, I bet. So are you sure you don't want me to pay for anything?_

_-Danny, for the last time, I've got the clothes covered. I like doing nice things for her. Besides, you couldn't afford it…lol_

_-What makes you say that?_

_-1.) You don't have a job. Well, not one that pays anyway. 2.) She needs a lot of clothes and she looks really nice in a lot of them. 3.) I have multiple credit cards with no limits and am filthy rich. Plus, my parents won't notice._

Danny couldn't help the grin that crossed his face at the message.

_-Fair enough. We'll meet you guys at the piercing place in a bit._

_-Righto. Love you. Oh and Ellie loves you too. But don't tell her I called her that…lol_

_-Lol. Love you guys too._

"Come on, Tuck. We still gotta make another stop, and I'm sure you're PDA is upgraded enough for the next year."

"I know, I know. But I can't help it! I'm a techno-geek. Plus, that hundo I got for scaring you guys really came in handy," he said with a smirk.

"Whatever. Did you get it?"

"Yep. Now let's split and get what you need so we can meet up with Sam and Dani."

Danny nodded and walked out of the store with his friend by his side. After making their last stop, the two waited for the girls outside the piercing store where a group of girls no older then Danielle were getting their ears done in some type of party.

"Jeez. Who comes up with Piercing Party as the theme for a kid's birthday?" Tucker asked, keeping his back to the window.

"I don't know. Little girls I guess. But are you really so scared of needles that you can't even watch a couple kids get their ears pierced?" Danny laughed, shaking his head.

"Hey, don't judge me," Tucker grumbled.

"Danny, Tucker!" Both turned to see Sam and Danielle walking toward them with numerous bags in each hand. "Mind helping us?" Sam said.

"Jeez, Sam. What'd you do, buy out the whole store?" Danny said, taking half the bags from Sam.

"Haha. And no. It was only maybe a third of it. We only got a few things, but she looked so good in all of them, I just felt it was probably better to get them in different colors. Oh, and by the way, I was right. You definitely would not have been able to afford," she said with a grin.

"How do I look?" Danielle asked, showing off her new regular outfit. Danny looked down at her, finally taking note of what she was wearing and couldn't help smiling not only at her smile of happiness, but at how nice she actually looked.

Having gotten rid of her pajama pants, she was now dressed in a denim mini skirt that reached the middle of her knees, much to Danny's relief, with a pair of ecto-green leggings and a pair of black gym shoes that were much like her's and Danny's old ones. Her black hoodie was replaced by a thin ecto-green long sleeve shirt that matched her leggings and a black t-shirt over it, both shirts cutting off at the top of her stomach, leaving her belly button exposed, while her old red beanie, which she had left at home, was replaced by one made of denim to match her skirt.

"You look great, Ellie," Danny said with a smile while Tucker gave her a thumbs up. "Green looks great on you, just like it did on Sam during the Undergrowth incident, which by the way, was still very hot, even if you were trying to use me as plant food."

"Ew! Gross!" Danielle said as she shook her head fiercely to get that thought out of her head.

"Danny!" Sam said as a blush of embarrassment crept onto her face.

"I'm just saying, both my girls look great in green," he said with a genuine smile.

Danielle smiled even wider at his comment and grabbed Sam into a tight hug. "Thanks again…m-Mom…" she said, the last part almost a whisper.

Sam was a little surprised, not at the hug, but at the fact that Danielle had taken to calling her mom so soon, or at all for that matter. She didn't expect to feel so strongly about the young girl so soon, but something inside her told her that she had always felt that way, and that it was the way it was supposed to be. Sam smile and wrapped her free arm around her daughter.

"You're welcome. Now, let's see about getting those ears pierced."

Everyone walked in except Tucker who refused to go any further near the store then where he was, though everyone knew it was most likely because he had a high possibility of fainting. While they waited in line for their turn, Danielle looked through every pair of earrings she saw, but found none that really peeked interest much. Danny smirked at Sam who smiled at him as he pulled out a jewelry box that he handed to Danielle, who looked at both of them in surprise before opening the box to find a pair of white gold emerald earrings. She couldn't help the tears that naturally started to well up, but quickly wiped them away and hugging them both in appreciation. After the earrings were in, which Danny insisted on paying for, she quickly admired them in the mirror, noting how they matched her eyes in ghost form, before her stomach growled and she blushed.

Both Sam and Danny laughed before the three headed out of the store to meet with their chicken of a friend and heading to the food court, a decision they all agreed was probably best for all of them. After they were all fed and relaxed, Tucker handed her another small package.

"Another gift?" She asked, looking at them all. "Seriously you guys, you've done enough."

"Actually, that one's from Tucker," Danny said. Danielle sighed before opening the box to find a brand new cell phone.

"You got me a cell phone?" she asked in shock.

"Yep. The latest and greatest model. Sam and Danny, being the overprotective parents that they are, are going to want to keep in contact with you as often as possible. Plus, I added all my numbers, Jazz's number and you're grandparents' numbers."

"Wow…but, I can't. It's so…expensive."

"Nonsense. As the mayor, and a valued regular customer, I got a great discount, and all expenses were paid for, so, go nuts. Besides, nothing is too good for my goddaughter," he said with a smile.

Danielle got out of her seat and walked around the table to hug him, thanking him repeatedly before walking over to Danny.

"And thanks again for the earrings, Daddy," she said with a blush planting a small kiss on his cheek. Danny's heart soared as her words sank in. Although he already felt as if he was her father, hearing her say it made it seem so much more real to him. He quickly scooped her into a hug before both of their ghost sense went off.

Before any of them could react, a loud screech of feedback came blaring over the P.A system followed by the loud echo of a guitar.

"Oh great. Just what I wanted, dinner and a show," Danny said. He and Danielle quickly broke apart, and, giving him a simple nod, signaled she was ready and game. "You guy's clear the area. We'll handle the one hit wonder."

"No need, dipstick." Danny turned to see none other than Ember McClain as she floated up to them, guitar in hand as she lightly strummed it. "I'm bringing the party to you, whether you like it or not," she said with a smirk as she looked down upon Danny, Sam and Tucker. Her eyes widened in surprise as they fell upon Danielle. "Well well. And who's the little dipstick with the scowl on her face?" she taunted with a smile as she got closer into Danielle's face which only made her angrier.

"Back off, Ember," Danny growled.

"You know, if I didn't know any better," she said with a grin, "I'd say she was your kid." An evil smile crept to her face as she backed away from them, eyeing Danny and Sam for their reactions. "So, you and the dipstick finally went and got busy, aye, babypop?" she laughed.

Sam could only blush in embarrassment as she averted her eyes slightly away from the undead rocker, while Danielle only seemed to grow angrier.

"Why don't you mind your own business, you over glorified opera singer!" she yelled, calling upon her inner power and transforming. Tucker took quick note of the fact her new emerald earrings were still in her ears, and seemed to bring out the green in her eyes.

"Huh. Looks like you were right, Danny. The earrings stayed in her ears even after she transformed. I owe you five bucks," Tucker said.

Ember's face fell at the insult thrown at her by the young phantom.

"Looks like you need a lesson in star management, aye, baby-dip" she said, combing her nicknames for Danny and Sam into a new one for Danielle.

Danielle had had it with the pop diva, charging at her with full force as her hands glowed with ecto-energy. Ember smiled, turning the dial on her guitar and strummed it, sending numerous waves of pink energy that slammed into the Danielle, pushing her back enough to cause her to lose her bearings for a moment. Before the young girl got the chance to recover, Ember used the opening, swinging her guitar like a bat and using Danielle for the ball. If her head wasn't spinning before, it sure was now as that blow to the head disoriented her even more while she spiraled into a nearby wall.

"Danielle!" Danny shouted before glaring back at Ember. "You're gonna pay for that! I'm going ghost!" he shouted as he ran and jumped off a close by table, giving himself more momentum as his body lit up, two familiar white rings appearing as he transformed from Fenton to Phantom. Without a to moment figure out what to do, Ember felt the force of Danny's ecto-blast as it hit her from the right, sending her flying back and away from the hole.

Having distracted her for the moment, Danny flew over to the hole just as Danielle groaned and stood, a hand holding her head as she steadied herself around the debris.

"Oh…ow…Did someone get the license plate of that tour bus?" she said as Danny hovered in front of her, making himself a wall between the two female ghosts.

"You ok?" he asked as he briefly turned to look over his shoulder so as to keep Ember in his line of sight.

"Yeah. She just got a lucky swing is all," she grimaced, floating up to take her spot next to him and staring down the musical ghost who was currently glaring at the two. "So, what's the plan?"

"We need to get her guitar away from her. She's a lot less dangerous without it. If one of us can distract her, the other can get it and destroy it."

"Got it. One distraction, coming up," she smirked before turning and charging full speed. Danny sighed and shook his head at her recklessness. Ember took quick note of the fact that Danielle was heading her way, turning the dial on her guitar once again, strumming it hard and launching a barrage of flaming fist at Danielle, who dodged a few and threw ecto-blast to counter the rest. "Sorry, but if I wanted to hear bad music, I'd listen to Tucker sing," she yelled.

"Hey! My singing isn't that bad!" Tucker yelled.

"Yes, it is," Everyone, including Ember, said.

Ember dodged an ecto-ray only to be blindsided by Danielle's multiple ect-disk. The blast hit her in various waves as Danielle started to fly circles around her, confusing Ember and taking on the role of an annoying swarm of bees.

"AHHHHH!" Ember screeched as her eyes turned bright red and the flame of her ponytail enlarged, spreading over her body in a burst of anger. Slinging her guitar on her shoulder, she flew straight for Danielle, streaking like a comet in the stary night sky.

"Uh oh," Danielle said as she braced herself. The fireball formally known as Ember crashed into her at full force, but didn't move as the young halfa tried to hold her position, but was losing ground as the fire seemed to grow more intense. Biting her lower lip, Danielle tried not to let the pain get to her, but couldn't help the scream of pain as the flames ripped through her gloves, scorching her palms instantly. Ember smiled as she used Danielle's moment of pain to her advantage and started pushing the young girl toward the ground as fast and as hard as she could, making the two look like a meteor that was burning brightly before coming to a crash on the Earth's surface, a crater left in its wake. Many of the remaining patrons stared at the hole, waiting to see if the fight was indeed over, and if it was who the victor would be. As the smoke rose from it, a bright light rose from it as Ember floated out with her eyes still glowing bright red.

"You're out of you league here, baby-dip," Ember said with an evil smirk on her face. "Nobody takes my spotlight and gets away with it. You might as well give up now." She gloated but soon the smile fell from her face as she watched Danielle float out of the crater and wince at the burns that had formed on various parts of her body, a smile plastered on her face.

"Sorry, Ember, but your show's been cancelled. Now!" she yelled, looking behind Ember.

Ember soon felt herself being dragged into the air by the strap of her guitar before being spun around. At that moment, she realized as Danny had reappeared, that he had been missing from the fight for the last few minutes and that she had only been focusing on Danielle. After finally getting her built up to a good force of momentum, Danny yanked off instrument off of her, sending her falling into a wall.

"Dani, heads up!" he yelled as he threw the guitar toward her as her hands glowed with ecto-energy.

"No!" Ember yelled in horror as she watched the young phantom blast her precious guitar into pieces. "You two are gonna pay for that!" she yelled as she turned her attention to Danny.

"You know," Danny said, "I think you need to chill out and-"

"Don't even _think_ about a comeback tour!" Danielle finished as she swooped in and kicked Ember up toward Danny with an ecto-powered kick. Danny's eye's glowed a bright blue, the same blue as his human form, as he shot a ray of energy at her, freezing the screaming ghost in a thick wall of ice.

Danny smirked at Danielle as she came over to him. "You wanna do the honors?"

"Gladly," she said as he handed her the Fenton Thermos. "You should consider early retirement, Ember, cause this shows over," she said as she activated the ghost catcher and sucked Ember in before clamping the cap on and twisting it tight.

The two Phantoms smiled at each other as the crowds of remaining people cheered and praised them. Both turned back to normal as their two friends made their way over to them.

"Are you two ok?" Sam asked as she gave Danny a quick hug before looking him over, though he hadn't even done much of the fighting. After she was sure he was ok, she did the same to Danielle, but pulled back when she heard the quick intake of breath, remembering the burns she had sustained only minutes before. Sam quickly grabbed Danielle's wrist, twisting them and feeling a cold bubbling of dread run threw her veins at the site of the many burns that covered the girl's palms in red. "Oh my god, Danielle! You're hands!"

"It's fine, really," she said as she rolled her eyes. "It's not even that bad, and I've dealt with way worse."

"Boy, does that sound familiar," Danny mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck and cringed as he prepared himself for what was to come. Sam's face feel free of all emotion as she stared at Danielle who raised an eyebrow, daring Sam to make a move, though what move, she didn't exactly know. Without any type of warning, Sam slapped the palm of Danielle's right hand, causing her face to light up and contort with pain.

"OOOOWWWW!" she screamed as she yanked her hand free and clutched it tight to her chest.

"Yeah, that's why it's wise to never say that _after_ she's already seen the injuries," Danny said, mentally recounting all the times he'd gone through the same thing with Sam.

Sam smirked before turning to Danny. "Grab the rest of the bags. We'll head to my place and bandage her hands. Bet you won't be stubborn about your injuries again, will you?" she said to Danielle whose on response was a low grumble.


	7. Chapter 7: Afternoon of Doomed

Chapter 7: Afternoon of Doomed

"Ow…ow…" Danielle muttered as Sam finished bandaging her hands.

"I'm just glad they weren't that bad. First degree at best. But maybe this will teach you not to downplay your injuries," Sam said with a satisfied smirk. After applying the last bandage and securing it, Sam pulled out a pair of fingerless black gloves, holding them out to Danielle. Danielle looked at her confused but still took them. Sam smiled. "They're to cover up the bandages. No need to worry your grandparents or your aunt. Plus, we don't want the press getting word of all this. God knows what they'd do with information like that."

"That makes sense," she said as she slowly and carefully slipped the gloves onto her hands, wincing slightly at the pain. Once the gloves were finally on, she adjusted the straps so they weren't so tight around her slightly singed wrist. Satisfied with the way they felt, she flexed her fingers a few times before looking back at Sam with a smile on her face. "Thanks, Mom. I'm gonna go find Dad and see if he can make some ice for my hands." Danielle quickly hopped off her seat on the lid of the toilet and planted a small kiss on Sam's cheek, surprising her.

Sam watched as the young pre-teen exited the bathroom and made her way down the hallway toward the stairs in search of her father. Placing a hand on her cheek, Sam couldn't help the small smile playing at her lips. "Maybe I _can _get used to this," she said to herself before turning around to clean and pack up the first aid kit.

"Hey, Dad!" Danielle called as she made her way into the basement where she could hear the sounds of the TV via the movie theater speakers it was attached to.

"Yeah?" Danny said over his shoulder, keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked as she walked over to the couch he was sitting on, looking over his shoulder at the screen. She stared, confused, as what looked like virtual versions of Danny and Tucker fought what looked like a giant monster made completely out of stone, while the real versions continued to work the controllers in their hands with headsets on their heads.

"We're playing an online game, _Doomed_. And right now, we're trying to- Danny, watch out! Six o'clock!" Tucker shouted as the ground under neither his friends character began to shake violently before a second monster came up in an explosion of fury, flinging him backwards. The monster roared as electricity flowed from the large electrical tower on it back and into its long eight legs. The creature, resembling a tarantula, had long yellow hairs that colored its entire body, streaks of orange creating a pattern on its back and thorax.

"Oh great. Just what we need. As if fighting the Crater Creature wasn't hard enough, now we gotta deal with the Elrachnid," Danny said as he maneuvered his character, GHOSTBOY, behind a rock, barely avoiding getting electrocuted.

"So, Dad, why are you guys wearing headsets if you're sitting right next to each other? " Danielle asked with a small giggle at their frustration.

"It helps us focus and gives us the ability to use voice commands," Danny said with a smirk as he pushed the mouthpiece closer to his mouth. "For example, _ACTIVATE ICY AIRSTRIKE_!"

Danielle looked back up at the screen to see GHOSTBOY pull out what seemed to be a blue and black remote. She watched a smirk identical to her father's come across his face, making her wonder just how exactly a game could be _that_ interactive, that it could actually mirror the person it was designed by, but ignored that as he pressed a few buttons on it. The room grew silent before the unmistakable sound of a plane engine resounded around from the speakers. The screen quickly changed to show a green targeting system as it scanned and locked onto the giant eight legged creature. The screen changed again to show a huge black bombardier plane with the initials 'GB' on it as it came threw a swirling blue portal. The virtual plane soared high above the battlefield as it opened its Bombay doors, releasing six atomic sized bombs. One after the other, the bombs hit the ground, exploding and sending giant waves of blue mist that swept across most of the battlefield, just barely missing where the Crater Creature and FRYERTUCK, Tucker's character, were still fighting. The Elrachnid screeched as it was swallowed up in the explosion, effectively freezing all its movement. Danielle's jaw dropped in both amazement and shock at what she had just witnessed.

"What the HELL was that!" she yelled, leaning more over the couch.

"Hey! Watch the language, young lady," Danny said sternly. Though he knew for a fact that he himself was not one to talk with how much he swore, he still didn't want her to get into the habit of doing it in front of him or other adults and getting herself into trouble. Danielle, however, simply rolled her eyes. "Who taught you that, anyway?"

"What the HELL was that?" Sam yelled in annoyance as she walked down the stairs and into the room. Danny face-palmed, though he knew he shouldn't have been surprised while Danielle simply smirked at him.

"Ok, I probably should have seen that one coming. And that, my dear Sam, was the sound of the Elrachnid getting what was coming to it via the Fenton Icy Airstrike," he gloated.

"Um, you may want to rethink that victory party, commander ice," she said, pointing to the screen where they watched as the ice covered creature began to shake, the ice splitting down in various places before flying everywhere in a massive explosion, setting the spider free. The Elrachnid roared in anger as it slammed its legs on the ground, destroying the rest of the ice around the battlegrounds.

"Oh man! What are we gonna do now? There's no way to stop them," Tucker said in panic. The worry quickly left his face as an idea crept into his mind. Tucker turned to his best friend, smiling creepily. "Hey, Danny. How about a power boost?"

"No way, Tucker. That's cheating, and I'm not going to do that. Obviously there's gotta be a way to win if other people have done it," Danny said.

"Doing what?" Danielle asked.

"Once when we were fighting Technus, we found out that as a ghost, you can enter the game and I was able to use my powers to get through the levels 20 times faster than normal."

"Whoa! This is so cool!"

"Yea, but unless there's a ghost in there that poses a threat of some sort, I'm not doing it."

"I'll do it!" Danielle said in excitement. "How often could you say that you've actually been to a virtual world? I say we do it!"

"No, you're not. We're just gonna have to beat it like everyone else; with teamwork and strategy. Plus, I don't want you getting hurt." Danny said, turning back to the screen only to see a flash of yellow light before watching GHOSTBOY and FRYERTUCK go flying into a nearby building.

"Yea, cuz that seems to be working out so well for you right now," Sam said with a roll of her eyes. Grabbing a third headset and controller, she quickly hopped over the couch, taking up the middle spot between the two boys and logging into her account.

"No way. You too?" Danielle asked.

"You better believe it," she said with a grin. "I started playing to prove that girls could play just as good, if not better, than boys, and spent months wiping the floor with these two and about a hundred other nerds. Sufis to say, I think I proved my point," she said as a black and purple muscular character with Sam's signature high ponytail on its head spawned on screen. The name CHAOS popped up under the other two with a full life bar and three lives.

"Alright! The cavalry has arrived!" FRYERTUCK said as he threw a yellow disk at the stone creature that exploded in a flash of light.

"No time to celebrate, Tuck. If this is gonna work, we're gonna have to take one of them out first. But to do that, we still have to get past the problem of distracting the other," CHAOS said.

"Can I play?" Danielle asked as she placed her chin on Danny's shoulder.

"Sorry, Ellie, but it'd be way too complicated to try to teach you to use the controls right now," Danny said. "Each character is unique and has different combinations of attacks that work together in a sequence. Like mine's based on ice attacks, mostly used to slow my enemies down. Sam's are darkness which can be used to confuse them, while Tucker's are all tech based so they can't be effected by spells that would normally be ineffective against magic users."

"But that's not fair," she said. "Fine, whatever. I don't wanna play anyway," she grumbled as she flopped into an open recliner next to the couch, arms crossed as she pouted slightly at the screen.

"Ah come one, don't pout," Danny said, feeling bad that he was blowing her off. "I'll make it up to you later, I promise. I'll teach you everything I know, and I'll even help you design your character."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm gonna go upstairs and use Mom's computer," she said as she turned intangible, jumping off the cushioned seat, and threw the ceiling.

"Danielle!" he said before his shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. "Great, now she hates me."  
"Dude, she's twelve. And Sam and yours daughter, which may possibly make her the _most _stubborn person in the history of the world, and possibly the Ghost Zone too," Tucker said with a laugh. Sam, however, did not take too kindly to the comment. Moving the joystick over a bit, Sam watched as CHAOS sidestepped a giant boulder that was flying toward him before it smashed into FRYERTUCK. "Hey!" he yelled as the smirk fell from his face.

"You know, you'd think you'd learn not to open his mouth sometimes," Sam said smugly. "But he's right, Danny. She will get over it. Just cuz she's even more stubborn then you are, doesn't mean she won't get over something little like this."

"Hey!" Danny said, but couldn't help smiling. "I guess you guys are right. Now, let's get going on this game," he said as he got back into the game, his spirit revitalized.

GHOSTBOY quickly pressed a button on his right wrist gauntlet, causing his black gloved hands to glow a bright blue.

"Hey, Rockhead! Try this one on for size!" he yelled as he held up his hands and blasted a bright beam at the monster, rewarded with a low rumble as it slowly started to freeze over and lose mobility.

"Nice shot," FRYERTUCK said.

"Yea, but it won't hold him for long, so we'd better take care of the spider fast."

The three characters turned to see a web flying at them. Before any of them could react, they were hit and sent flying backwards at a fast speed before feeling the impact of themselves getting stuck to the wall. They all began to struggle in an attempt to get free of the netting, but soon stopped their efforts as a huge jolt of lightning hit them, effectively immobilizing them. The three virtual characters peered up to see the electrified monster making its way toward them.

"Well, so much for taking care of the spider," CHAOS said. "For the record, I blame both of you."

"Jeez. It'd take a miracle to us out of this now," GHOSTBOY said.

"_NEW PLAYER HAS ENTERED THE GAME" _the computer chimed as a forth screen name popped up under the other three.

"GHOSTNINJA? Who the hell is that?" GHOSTBOY said as he gazed at the empty battlefield in front of him.

"Ha! And you were just trying to scold Danielle about saying that," FRYERTUCK said, only to receive a glare from his partner. Before he could respond, the air was filled with the sound of a slash and then another as the thick electrical wiring that restrained them split into shreds and broke apart, freeing the combatants from their prison against the wall.

As they landed on the ground, trying to regain mobility and the strength to use their abilities again, they came face to face with the new player who had freed them. Before them stood a person, though they were unable to tell if they were male or female, with what most people knew was basic armor, which surprised them. A skin tight black suit with green cyber wiring, that all players had, hugged their body. In the center of the chest was a circle with the initials 'GN' which was also written in bright neon green letters. The suit was adorned with matching green gloves, boots and a belt that held pouches on the right side with numerous ninja weapons while the on the left rested the hilts of what appeared to be a pair of thin broadswords. On the players head rested a virtual see threw visor, the lenses the same green as the rest of their outfit, and a sleek black helmet that covered the rest of their head, the only thing visible being a long white ponytail.

"Uh, thanks, kid," GHOSTBOY said as he massaged his wrist. "But, who are you, and how did you get into our mission session?" he asked in annoyance that the random person had possibly hacked into their server.

"Does it really matter?" they asked in a deep scrambled voice, much like one you'd hear from a voice changer. "Also, is that how you thank someone who just saved you? If you want to beat these things, you're going to need my help." GHOSTNINJA grabbed the hilt of a sword in each hand, and drew them from the belt. In an instant, the blades started to glow with green energy as they seemed to come to life in the player's hands.

"The kid's right," FRYERTUCK said. "If we really wanna stand a chance against these things, we're gonna have to pair off into teams of two. Only question is who gets stuck with the noob."

"I call the techno-geek strategist!" CHAOS said, grabbing FRYERTUCK.

"Sweet! Mega powerhouse with extra bonuses and cheat codes sounds good to me!"

"Ugh, fine," GHOSTBOY said, smacking a hand against his forehead. "You guys take the walking statue. We'll take the eight legged bug zapper."

FRYERTUCK and CHAOS nodded and made a dash for the Crater Creature who was starting to break free of his icy prison.

"So, do you have a plan?" GHOSTNINJA asked.

"Maybe. But I'm gonna need to know what skills you have."

"My specialty is lightning based attacks. I can use and absorb it. I'm also armed to the teeth with weapons, including my swords."

"Well, the lightning isn't going to help us much. Can you use it to enhance your abilities any?"

"Yes. The electricity can increase my speed as well as give me the ability to fly."

"Ok. We might be able to use that to our advantage. You ready for this, noob?" he said with a smirk.

GHOSTNINJA glared up at him, standing only at about his waist, before pointing the blade in their right hand at GHOSTBOY in warning. "Listen, and listen good because I will only say this once: I am not a noob!"

"That's not what your armor and status say," he said, unfazed by the threat. Having spent so many hours playing, it was easy to spot a noob anywhere, but it did make him wonder how someone of such low status had been able to obtain such strong weapons though he didn't ask.

GHOSTNINJA glared at him before turning back to the spider who was no less than 30 feet away from them. "Whatever."

"Yea, that's what I thought. By the way, sorry about earlier. You really saved our butts. But I gotta know; who are you?"

"Do you wanna ask questions, or do you wanna kick some butt?" they said, eyeing the spider.

Back in reality, Danny's eyes flew open as the words of the player went through his ear via the headset on his head, and into his mind. Danny's clear blue eyes stared first at the screen in surprise, but soon flashed green in rage. Without hesitation, Danny used his controller to command GHOSTBOY to fire an ice beam, but instead of aiming at his opponent, he fired upon his own teammate. GHOSTNINJA let out a strangled gasp as they felt their body begin to slow down and all the power start to temporarily drain from their body. The feeling was colder than anything they had ever felt in their entire life, and soon the feeling overcame them, making it impossible to even try to move. GHOSTBOY walked forward slowly, gazing over everything about the player in front of him; the shape of the body, the quick temper, the white hair held in a ponytail. In a swift yank, the helmet that rested over GHOSTNINJA's head was off, revealing a full head of white hair, familiar pale skin and vibrant neon green eyes.

"DANIELLE!" Danny screeched in the microphone, making both Sam and Tucker cringe at the feedback in their ears, but it was quickly ignored as they looked over to see it was indeed the head of the young halfa sticking out of the ice.

"Uh…high, Daddy," she laughed nervously as she placed an innocent smile on her face.

"What are you doing in there! How did you get into the game! And wipe that smile off your face, I'm in no mood for that sweet and innocent crap," he said as his anger started to boil over.

"Well…when I got onto Mom's computer, I found the program and decided to try it to see if I could help, but it wasn't going good at all. I was getting frustrated, when I remembered what Tucker had said about using your ghost powers in the game, and well…"

"You decided to cheat AND disobey me," he said.

"I'd like to think of it more as creative enhancement…" she said jokingly, but her smile soon faltered when she saw the clearly unamused frown on her father's avatar. "But, aren't you glad I came when I did? If I hadn't, you guys would have been toast, right?"

"I can't even believe this! Do you even understand how angry I am right now or how badly you could get hurt," he yelled, making her cringe at his voice. Although Danielle hadn't spent a lot of time with her father, she had seen him mad on a few of those occasions. The anger in his voice sent a shiver down her spine that even the ice couldn't cause, which instantly told the girl that she was in way over her head on this one. "I am so mad, I swear-"

A loud roar and the sound of electricity flowing stopped Danny's rant in his tracks as he watched as GHOSTBOY had been, once again, blasted, but this time, the character vanished in the form of static as the last of his second life ended.

Danielle, who had crouched down as far as she could in the sudden excitement of watching the character get blasted, opened one eye slowly, then the other, looking around to see that she was indeed alone in the middle of the battlefield, save for the gigantic arachnid roaring and stomping its way toward her.

"Wow, that was convenient," she said as a smile came across her face. Focusing all of energy into one concussive blast, she quickly freed herself, flexing her frozen muscles before giving the spider an evil grin and charging full force at it.

"Oh, she thinks she's off the hook, huh?" Danny growled, clinching his fist. Quickly discarding his headset and controller, Danny transformed, preparing to charge into the game himself. "I'm gonna go in there, I'm gonna drag her out of there, and when I get my hands on her-"

"Whoa, easy there, Danny," Sam said, grabbing his shoulder. "I agree that you need to go get her, but calm down a little bit first. You don't need to do anything rash."

"Don't tell me you're defending her, Sam."

"Oh, no way. She's is so gonna get it when I get _my _hands on her. But I also don't want you to charge in there and get yourself hurt."

Danny opened his mouth to agree with her, but stopped when the familiar sounds of the point counters rang out, alerting the three teens of a victorious battle. The three turned to see both the Crater Creature and Elrachnid lying on the battlefield, various parts of their bodies flung around everywhere and smoldering with green smoke. The sound of laughter and victorious cheering caught their attention as Danielle floated in the air over the field, excitedly patting herself on her single handed win.

"Ha! Told you ghost powers were the way to go," Tucker said in triumph, but his victory was short lived as both Danny and Sam gave him a look of death that clearly showed that they were not in the mood or pleased with the fact that he was the cause of all this. Tucker shrunk back and averted his eyes, hopping he wouldn't soon find himself bursting into flames or on the wrong end of a ghost-ray…again.

Danny turned around and picked his controller back up, taking careful aim at the unsuspecting girl, and fired, blasting her in the back with enough force to completely drain her character of all her life. Danielle let out a scream in surprise as the small amount of pain suddenly made her feel weak and, before she understood what was happening, her body vanished before she soon felt a strong force pulling her backwards.

Danny stepped to the side and watched as Danielle came shooting out of the screen, falling full force into the wall behind them where she came to a full stop, transforming back to her normal human form, and sliding to the ground in a daze. Danielle groaned and rubbed the now sore spot on the back of her head before opening her eyes, only to come face to face with the VERY angry red faces and hard glares of her parents. She quickly put on a weak smile and gave a nervous laugh.

"Uh…great team work?" she said.

"Oh, you are so busted," Danny said in a dark tone.


	8. Chapter 8:Meeting the Rest of the Family

Chapter 8: Meeting the Rest of the Family

Danielle grumbled angrily as she continued to wash the dishes. She hated chores, though she never actually had to do them before, but something inside her told her that she hated them and that she should just ignore them. It was probably something she got from her dad, who was definitely not happy about the video game thing.

"_I can't believe you would do something so stupid! So irresponsible! So dangerous!" Danny yelled as he paced back and forth in front of a guilty looking Danielle as she hung her head in shame. She had never been in trouble before, not even when she lived with Vlad. Other then when she had betrayed him, he never found the need to punish her even if she did something bad. Now that Danny, her father that actually cared about her, was angry and about to punish her, she just wanted to go intangible and sink into the floor, which she probably would have tried had it not been for the oh so ever watchful eye of her mother. _

"_I said I'm sorry…" she said in a low voice. "I don't get why this is that big of a deal."_

"_You wanna know why? Because 1.) You deliberately disobeyed me, Danielle. If I tell you not to do something, you are NOT to do it, and you're old enough to know the difference. 2.) You put your life in danger. I don't even want to imagine what we would do if something happened to you. And 3.) Because even something as small as cheating can completely destroy your life!"_

"_Now, hold on, Danny," Sam said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "She didn't know about that. Besides, we all know it wasn't the fact that you cheated that caused it to happen. It was the fact that everyone was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that Vlad's method of helping was beyond crazy."_

"_Vlad, helping? And what do you mean about being in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Danielle asked, though she kept her eyes down toward the floor in fear of her father's harsh gaze. _

_Danny sighed, running a hand threw his hair. "I know she didn't know, Sam, but…I just don't wanna take any chances. I don't want there to be a chance of her ending up like I had." Danny turned to Danielle and began telling her the story of Dan Phantom, his alternate future self that was the most powerful, destructive ghost in the world. He told her of how he laid waste to many places, including Amity Park. Of how he was the most hated ghost in the Ghost Zone. Of how he came back and tried to kill his friends and family. Danny told her of how he hated Dan and that he couldn't stand the thought of ever seeing him again. The look of shock, and the small bit of fear, that Danny saw in his daughter's eyes showed him he got this point across. But he knew that he still had work to do. _

"_Now, on to your punishment," he said, a scowl coming to his face._

In the back of her mind, Danielle knew she had no right to be angry at her parents because she did do something that was wrong. But in the front of her mind, she, like most kids, only saw the fact that what she was being forced to do was cruel and stupid.

"This is so stupid," she said, sleeves rolled up and gloves resting in the back pocket of her jean skirt as she was elbow deep in dish soap. "I mean, what's the point in making me do the dishes when you have a freaking dish washer that works perfectly fine?"

"Because you hacked into a video to help us beat to bosses, putting yourself in danger, and disobeying Danny," Tucker said with a cocky smirk as he walked into the kitchen and held out his plate to her while finishing his sandwich. "You should be glad you only got stuck with some chores and being grounded for the rest of the weekend. That's him going easy on you."

Danielle, who was not in the mood for his jokes, growled as she snatched the plate his hands and flashing green eyes, turned around, returning to her dish duty. Tucker flinched away from the girl as her anger seemed to radiate off of her in waves. He'd seen this many times before from another person in his group. Sam, to be exact, and he knew better then to piss her off, but he didn't seem to think the same about Danielle.

"Jeez. Well, you don't have to tell me twice. You really are Sam's daughter. Have fun with your chores," he said with a laugh.

Oh Tucker. Always pushing his luck. That was the final straw for Danielle because before her mind could even register what she was doing, her body reacted, tossing the soapy plate like a Frisbee at the annoying techno lover. Tucker shrieked and dove into the doorway just as the plate went flying by him, crashing into the kitchen wall and shattering into pieces. At the sound of the crash, he looked up from where his face was buried in the ground and looked at her in fear before running off.

"Damn it," Danielle grumbled as she tried not to scream in annoyance. With a quick face palm, she walked over to the broken remains of the plate, and gathered the pieces so she could deposit them in the trash. A foul smell flew into the air as she opened the lid, and Danielle had to hold down her gag reflex as she put the pieces in and tied the bag before lifting it out of the canister. "This. Is. Bogus! They only gave me these stupid chores so that they wouldn't have to do them. This would so much easier with my powers, but NO! Dad had to ban me from using those too. I mean seriously!? That's like telling a dog not to bark! Stupid and unnatural!"

Danielle continued to rant as she picked up the bag of disposed contents and she made her way toward the door that led to the backyard where the garbage can was, completely oblivious to the sound on the other side of said door. Just as she reached out to grab the knob, the door flung open, hitting her and knocking her backwards where she landed on her butt with a loud thud.

Danielle groaned before letting out a scream of annoyance and irritation from all the events that had built up in the short day.

"WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!? BETTER YET, HOW ABOUT KNOCKING BEFORE YOU JUST ENTER SOMEONE'S HOME!?" she yelled at the person as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead where she had been hit.

"Excuse me!?" the woman in front of her scoffed in surprise as she placed her hands on her hips. "I don't know who you **think **you are talking to, young lady, but you will most certainly NOT talk to **me **like that in **my **home."

"You're home?" Danielle asked in surprise as she looked up at the couple looming over her for the first time. The man had light blonde hair that seemed to have a natural curl to it and was dressed in a blue sweater vest with long khaki pants and dress shoes. The women wore a pink dress with a white collar and matching white gloves, as well as a fair amount of jewelry. Her hair was bright red as it sat delicately on her head, but reminded Danielle of the fire that was iconic on the Olympic torch, and could rival her aunt's.

"That's right, **my** home," Pamela said as her light blue eyes bore into Danielle as she rested on the ground where she had fallen. "Now, who are you and what exactly are you doing in our home?"

"Um…" Danielle could feel fear as the situation was starting to get bad. She couldn't out right say she was Sam and Danny's daughter, but if she didn't think of something quick, this was going to get a lot worse a lot quicker. "I'm…the cleaning girl. You're normal cleaning lady is my…aunt…and…she asked me to work in her place for the day because she's sick," she said, but could tell by the look on Pamela's face that she wasn't buying any of it.

"Well, as much as I'd like to believe you, I don't," she said in a dark tone. "Now, you can tell us who you really are, or, we can let the police decide when they get here." She quickly pulled out her cell phone and started dialing the police.

Danielle's eyes widened in fear as she jerked up from her seat on the ground and onto her hands and knees, waving her right one out to Pamela.

"No! Wait!" she said in desperation to the woman. Danielle's mind was firing a mile a minute as it tried to come up with a solution to her current situation, but the stress of everything was taking its toll on her, causing her mind to come up blank.

"Danielle!" she heard someone yell. Turning around in surprise, she saw her only actual hope of getting out of this heading into the kitchen: her parents. "Why are you yelling and throwing plates at Tucker? I know you're mad but-" Sam stopped short as she froze in surprise at the site of her parents in the kitchen and Danielle sitting there, eyes wide with fear and pleading for help. Danny and Tucker, who were walking behind Sam, tensed up when they saw the look on Pamela's face. "Mom. Dad. You guys are back already? I thought you were gonna be on vacation for a few more weeks?"

"We were, but had to come back a bit early because of an emergency meeting that came up at my company," Jeremy said eyeing her suspiciously. Of the two parents, Jeremy was much more lenient when it came to Sam and her odd behaviors. He didn't encourage her to rise against them or anything like that, but he gave her much more freedom then Pamela did because he knew that pushing her would only result in her fighting against them on everything.

"Oh, well, that's great! We were just leaving. So, if you'll excuse us," she said, grabbing Danielle by her arm and hoisting her up in one quick jerk, "we'll just get out of your way while you guys unpack."

"Samantha," He mother said in a commanding tone that made Sam's blood run cold in her veins, a feeling that she hated with a passion. "Who is that girl and what are you hiding?"

"Nothing, Mother," Sam said with a hint of venom in her voice as she gave her mother an annoyed look. "And she's a friend of mine, ok?"

"No, it is not ok, Sam!" she yelled. "I am sick and tired of you and your friends being disrespectful and thinking you can be all secretive with everything!"

"Me? You're the ones who hid a camera in my room to spy on me and Danny! And maybe I wouldn't be disrespectful if you didn't treat my friends so bad!"

"Whoa, easy there, Sam," Danny said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need to calm down and talk about this-"

"You stay out of this!" Pamela said, pointing an accusing finger in his face. "This is all your fault, I know it. Ever since you and your crazy ghost chasing parents came into our lives-"

"Hey! Back up off him!" Danielle said as she smacked Pamela's hand out of Danny's face. "I don't care who you are, you have no right to treat him that way, especially when he's saved your butts so many times and-"

"How dare you!" Pamela screamed at her. "I don't know who you think you are or who your parents are, but I do know that a child like you needs to learn some respect for your elders! You are disrespectful, unpleasant, and an eye sore!"

As Pamela continued to insult and belittle her, Danielle suddenly started to feel her resolve and courage evaporate faster than water on the sun. With each word, she flinched while clenching her hands a little to keep from breaking so easily, especially since she had taken on creatures far worse than a suburban housewife.

"-God awful, and I can only imagine what the rest of your family must be like!"

"SHUT UP!" Danielle screamed as she body shook with anger and hurt. "My family is great! The best! They love me and everything about me!"

"Well, if you're any example of who they are and how they act, I highly doubt that they are as great as you claim them to be," Pamela said as she crossed her arms.

That was it. The final straw that put Danielle over the edge. Her anger had boiled over and in a flash of light, she transformed into her ghost form, shocking everyone, though for different reasons. Pamela and Jeremy were not expecting that, while Danny, Sam and Tucker were more shocked because of her loss of control. Tears ran from her eyes as she glared at the two parents before her.

"Shut up! You shut about my family!" she screamed as she stomped her feet like a child being made fun of on the playground.

Pamela, although stunned at first, quickly grew to anger as she turned her gaze on Danny. Without any warning, and to the surprise of everyone, she raised her hand before pulling it back and slapping him across the face.

"I knew it! I knew this was all your fault! We let you into our home, and you bring more of those vile creatures in here like some hotel for the undead!" she screeched at him while only seeing red. Danny was stunned, not because it hurt, but because he NEVER expected her to hit him. Sure, he knew that she didn't like him and he wasn't too fond of her either. To be honest, he never thought she ever liked him, but was more than willing to take her insults for the sake of his friend. But never, in this life or his next, would he have been prepared for her to hit him.

"Mom! What the hell is wrong with you!" Sam yelled.

"Samantha, you will respect me and you will watch you language!"

"Watch my language? WATCH MY LANGUAGE!? Are you fucking kidding me right now!? You just slapped Danny and insulted Danielle, both of who have saved your life countless times and who put up with all your shit, and you're worried about my language!?"

"Honey, maybe Sam's right. Although I will agree that Daniel may have caused some problems, I think you should calm down so we can all talk about this rationally," Jeremy said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down? Look at this, Jeremy! Ever since he started, "protecting" the town, Sam rebels more than ever, she sneaks out and puts her life in danger, and now," she turned her glare on Danielle who instinctively flinched and took a step back, "now, she's bringing more of those things into our home!"

"Don't you dare speak badly of Danielle," Sam yelled as she stepped between her mother and daughter.

"Oh please, Samantha! Why are you trying to defend that-that-thing! She's nothing but a disgusting, filthy little reprobate!"

All four of the teens gasped his surprise and horror at Pamela. Sam knew her mother could be a horrible, awful person, but never once did she think that she would sink so low as to tell someone that they were nothing but a reject of life. Her anger grew as she could not comprehend that she was actually born from a woman as cruel as this. Danny's eye's glowed a bright green as he had to restrain himself from attacking the woman for the insult she had just dealt out to his daughter. Tucker had seen many things in his life, cruel things that no teenager should ever see. But never would he expect one of his best friend's own mother to be the worst he's ever seen. Danielle didn't know how to feel other then broke. This woman, her mother's mother had just told her, plain and simple to her face that she not only hated ghost, but that she hated her for no reason. She was almost as bad as Vlad.

The pressure and the stress of the situation became too much for Danielle as her knees grew weak and tears fell even faster down her face in a zigzag pattern, mirroring her heart as it broke a little. Danielle's resolve had finally hit it's breaking point as she cried loudly and her child like instincts kicked into high gear, her knees buckling under her and bringing her to the ground.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she cried out loudly as she transformed back to normal and curled up into a ball on the floor.

"Well, if you want them so much, why don't you all just go, because you are all banned from here from now on and are not allowed to interact with our daughter ever again!" Pamela yelled at them.

"Wow. I knew you were cruel, but I never thought you were a heartless monster," Tucker said as he glared at her.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Danny yelled. The force of his glare shook Pamela as she took a step backwards in surprise at the anger in his voice. "You can insult me, you can hit me, you can even try to restrain and detain me. But what the hell do you think gives you the right to insult and hurt my daughter!?"

"Your what!?" Both parents yelled in unison.

"You know what your problem is, Pamela? You're a fucking hypocrite! You go around, acting all perfect and pretending everything is all good. But the second something comes in that steps over and out of your control, you have to try and bring it beneath you because you think you're so superior. Well let me tell you something," he said, stepping forward and transforming before lowering his voice to a dangerously serious tone. "if you ever insult my daughter again, so help me God, you will not like the consequences, understand!?" he said as his eyes glowed even brighter. Without waiting for an answer, Danny turned around and picked up Danielle, who was still crying, and headed toward the hallway.

"Come on Tuck, Sam. We're getting Ellie's stuff and leaving." Tucker nodded his head as he glared at the Mansons one last time and following his friend. Danny turned to see Sam still facing her parents. "Sam?"

"You guys go on. I'll catch up," she said with an apologetic smile. Danny paused for a moment before turning himself and Danielle, who softly cried on his shoulder and only looked at Sam briefly, intangible as he flew through the ceiling.

Pamela and Jeremy stood in silence as the connection between the two children had finally started to connect as well as the threat and anger in Danny's voice.

"I knew there was something about her I didn't like," Pamela said in disgust. "I knew he was a freak, but I didn't ever expect him to bring some sort of wretched abomination of offspring into my home!"

Sam, having finally been left alone with her parents, let all of her anger and fury flare up in an instant. In a swift motion, she slapped her mother, all of her anger, frustration and hurt backing her up. The force and surprise of the hit caught Pamela off guard, causing her to fall into Jeremy's arms as she placed a hand on the now sore red mark on her face.

"You heartless bitch!" Sam screeched as she shook with anger. "I cannot believe anyone could be this horrible, and never, no matter what you've ever said or done, would I have thought you could be the absolute worst human being in the world. But I should have known. You always find a way to make yourself so much worse in people's eyes! Even your associates take bad about you, Mom! I defended you so many times against what others say, even to Danny and Tucker who have known you for years, but you've just proven everyone right."

"Samantha!" her mother screeched in surprise. "What has gotten into you!? You will go to your room and-"

"Come off it! I'm sick of all this distrust and the bad mouthing and the consent fighting with you! And you're right. I am going to my room. And when I do, I'm going to pack my stuff, and I'm leaving with my boyfriend and my daughter because I will never live under the same roof with someone like you ever again. I could never live with someone who would sink so low as to degrade a little girl like you have done to Danielle."

"Your…daughter?" Jeremy whispered.

"That's right. **My **daughter. Your granddaughter. She was created from a combination of mine _and _Danny's DNA, and now, we're going to raise her obviously without your support," Sam said, turning toward the hall. "It didn't have to be like this. I never wanted it to be. I knew one day I would leave, but I never thought it would be like this. I hope you're happy, Mom. Not only have you lost any chance of getting to know you're granddaughter, you've lost all love and respect of you're only daughter. Maybe now, you can have life the way you want it without your little black sheep ruining it."

Sam said nothing else as the tears ran down her face and she walked into the hall before ascending the stairs, her heart breaking all the way up.


	9. Chapter 9: Moving On

Chapter 9: Moving On

Sam slammed the trunk to the limousine with a final shut as she put her final bag into it. Sam's heart ached as she sniffled and wiped away a few tears and turned to her grandmother who sat on her scooter like always, but instead of her normal happy go lucky attitude, a look of sarrow and regret dominated on her face.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, bubeleh?" Ida asked as she rested her hands on the cane she kept on the side of her motorized chair.

"I'm sorry, grandma, but I…I just can't. I can't live here with them anymore. Not after what my mother said. Not after everything she's done. And not just to me, but then the way she acted toward Danny and Danielle…that was too far, and this…is where I have to draw the line," Sam said.

"You know, I can always have them kicked out. If that helps," Ida said with a small smile. Sam couldn't help the sad smile that came to her face at her grandma's loving and caring attitude. Ida had always been someone Sam not only looked up to, but someone she could confide her deepest secrets in.

Ida had been there for Sam when she had first started going through puberty. When she had gotten her first period, Jeremy and Pamela had been away on business, something Sam had become accustomed to at a young age. After the shock of waking up to extreme cramps and more then mild irritability, she screamed at the site of the blood that covered her silk bed sheets. Her first reaction was to run into the bathroom and use her cellphone to call her parents. Unfortunately, they were caught in a meeting and told her they would call her back later, making Sam not only angry, but extremely hurt that they didn't care that their daughter was going to bleed to death. As she sat on the bathroom floor, crying her eyes out, Ida came into the room, having heard her only grandchild screaming, and fearing something was wrong. Upon seeing her grandmother, Sam fell into her arms, crying in hysteria that she loved her and that she was too young to die, all the while Ida was smiling and chuckled at the girls over reaction. After she was finally able to calm the young girl down and reassure her she was not going to die, Ida explained everything to Sam, leaving the girl relieved and embarrassed at her dramatic over reaction.

Ida was also the first one to find out about Sam's feelings for Danny. Though she knew for a fact that Tucker, being both his and her best friend, had probably figured it out from spending so much time with her, Ida was the first person Sam had confided in. She was rolling down the hall when she found her favorite family member sitting at the kitchen table, picking at a salad she made as a few loose tears fell down her face. Ida listened to Sam as she told her of how she was tired of watching all these girls warm up to Danny and how he fell for them, usually so hard that he would get hurt in the process. She told her of how she wished she could just tell him how she felt, but didn't want to ruin their friendship. Ida smiled as she placed a hand on Sam's and told her that she need not worry, and that when the time was right, she would know what to do. Sam was happy to know that someone in her family cared about her, but never quite understood what her grandmother meant until the day of the Disasteroid when she and Danny shared their first real kiss. In that one moment, though short as it was, her grandma's words came back to her and finally made sense as she was finally able to convey her true feelings to him.

"No. That's ok. I don't really need a place this big anyway," Sam said before hugging her and kissing her. "I love you, nanna."

"I love you too. And no matter what, you and your friends are always welcome here. Regardless of what they said."

"Thanks, nanna."

"Anything for my granddaughter and great granddaughter. Be sure that you call me if you need anything."

"I will. And I promise that we'll visit," Sam said, taking one last look at her grandma before turning back to what was no longer her home. As she gazed upon the massive home, a small part of her couldn't help but hope that her parents, as shallow and cruel as they were, would come outside to stop her and tell her that they loved her and that they were sorry about how they treated everyone. But, sadly, the bigger part of her knew that that was something that was not going to happen. No, her mother was much too proud and would never do something like that, even for Sam.

Sam breathed a heavy sigh of regret as she crawled into the back of the vehicle where Danny, Danielle and Tucker waited for her. Tucker sat against the longer inner wall while Danny occupied the small seat closest to the door. Next to him was Danielle who was still had tear streaks stained on her face as she sleep quietly from crying herself to sleep.

As Sam climbed in, she picked up Danielle, placing her on her lap where she instinctively started to rub the small of the young girls back before closing the door. Sam didn't say a word as she gazed at the small child that seemed relax at her feather like touch, trying not to disturb her. Finally, Danny had enough.

"Sam?" Danny said, grabbing her left hand from their daughter's back.

"Yeah?" she replied, still not looking at him.

Danny was quiet for a moment, trying to find an easy way to approach this, though he knew there wasn't.

"Sam, talk to me. I need to know…are you sure you want to do this?"

She didn't reply for almost minute, but when she did, she looked him directly in his eyes where he could see faint tears starting trying to form.

"Unfortunately, yes I am. As much as I hate to admit it, I knew this was inevitable. My parents and I have been butting heads for so long, I thought that when the day came that I moved out, I wouldn't feel bad about it. I had always worried it would end like this, where my parents and I would get into a fight and I'd leave, get my own place, and only speak to them when I felt it necessary. But I never knew it would not only hurt so much, but that I really didn't want it to be this way. I love them, but I love you and Ellie too. You two are the most important people in my life, and if they can't accept either of you, them they have no room in my life," she said as she quickly wiped the tears before they could flow. "I just wish that they cared more about how I felt and wish that they could understand."

Danny rubbed her hand before kissing her softly on the lips.

"I love you too, Sam. And so does Ellie. And believe me when I say that I am sorry it had to end this way with your parents, but…we all knew it was bound to boil over one day. I just wish we had more time, been a little older so we could have set you up better than this."

Sam nodded before turning to the driver.

"Jensen?"

"Yes, Ms. Sam?" the elderly driver asked at full attention.

"To Fenton Works, if you please."

"But of course, Ms. Sam," he answered as he rose the small window connecting his seat and the cabin, and shifted the car into gear.

"Thanks again for all the help and support, you guys," Sam said, looking at Danny and then Tucker, love for her friends making her feel better as she scooted closer to her boyfriend and placed her head on his shoulder.

Tucker couldn't help but to feel more at ease as he looked upon his best friends' little family of three. Danny, the strong, overprotective father. Sam, the stubborn, but nurturing mother. And last, but not least, Danielle, the adventurous daughter who always brought a little excitement wherever she went. Never in his short, fourteen years of life, would he have thought that any of this would have happened the way it did. Danny getting his ghost powers, both he and Sam being controlled ghost, fighting and saving the world. Now, he couldn't even imagine what their lives would be like if none of it had ever happened. This was something he always knew would happen, though the unexpected addition of Danielle was a surprise. But nonetheless, he felt a bit of envy for them, and hoped that one day he too would have a family like this one.

"So. What's the plan now?" he asked as they made their way down the road.

"We go to my place, I talk to my parents, and we move Sam and Danielle's stuff in. Everything's gonna be pretty much the same as before, I guess," Danny said.

"Except without my parents input. Though, that never mattered much before anyway," Sam said with a small smile.

Tucker smiled back and nodded his head in agreement as silence fell over them in the small space for the rest of the trip. Upon their arrival to the Fenton home, Danny phased out of the limousine and into his home where his parents and sister waited, wanting to question him and Danielle about their earlier interview and the battle with Ember which happened to be all over the news.

But before anyone could ask any questions, Danny announced that he had something important to talk to them about.

"Oh god, please don't tell me Sam's pregnant," Jazz said as she placed a hand on her head. "Please tell me that you are not about to tell me that you have other kids or that you have another one on the way."

Danny stood in shock as he stared at his sister. Shaking his head rapidly and finally getting his speech function back, Danny replied in the best way he knew how.

"What in the world is wrong with you, Jazz!? Are you NUTS!?" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

"I'm just asking because every time you walk into the house and say "Guys, I've got something important that we need to talk about", it ends with something big happening, and I don't think I can take finding out I have any more nieces or nephews right now, especially when I just found out I have one yesterday!" Jazz said in exasperation.

Danny did a face palm, making a mental note to find a better way to handle these things in the future, and reassured his sister that he would not be having anymore kids any time soon. From there, Danny went on to explain everything that happened between them and the Mansons. Needless to say, Maddie and Jack were beyond angry with them, and Jazz was completely disgusted with the two.

"How could they have been so cruel to her? I mean, she's their daughter! And the way they treated Danielle and you is just horrible! She's so sweet and innocent, and you never did anything wrong to them. Not to mention she's their granddaughter!" Jazz ranted as she paced in front of the couch.

"I know. I can only imagine how Sam must be feeling. I mean, I always feared it would happen to me once my secret was out. But her…she knew it was going to happen eventually. That's gotta be the worse. It just makes me sick," Danny said as he shook his head a little. "So, Mom, Dad, is it alright if Sam moves in with us? I'd really feel better knowing she was somewhere safe and close by. I promise we won't do anything, and-"

"Danny," his mother said, holding up her hand. Danny peered into her eyes and relaxed at the smile on her face. "Sam is family. She always has been and with her being Danielle's mother, it wouldn't be right if we didn't do everything we could to help her. Although you two are going to have to share a bedroom since we're turning the guest room into Danielle's room. But I expect you two to be responsible about all this, Daniel James Fenton. Understood?"

Danny smiled and hugged his parents. "Thanks guys. I'm gonna help them move their stuff," he said as he turned and phased back outside. Thirty minutes of lifting and phasing threw things later, mostly done by Danny, all of Sam and Danielle's things were moved into the Fenton home. Sam laid Danielle, who was still napping, on the former guest bed and placed a kiss on her head before heading down the hall to Danny's room.

Upon entering, Sam was surprised to find almost all of her bags empty, and most of her possessions either put away or arranged in various places around the room.

"You know, I am capable of unpacking my own stuff, Danny," she said with a smile as she walked over to him.

"Trust me, I know," he said as he placed her spare boots in his closet. "Hence why I left your clothes in their bags.

"Oh, is that why?" she asked as she watched him turn back into his human form.

"Well that and, knowing my luck, you would walk in while I was trying to put your underwear away, and you'd think I was some kind of pervert."

"Well considering the fact that you're used your powers to spy in the girl's locker room, I'd say we're way past that."

Danny's jaw dropped as a deep red blush crept onto his face.

"Uh…how…how'd you come up with that?"

"You know, it's funny the kind of information you can get out of Tucker when you use the right type of motivation," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck while his made their way around her waist. "But it's ok. You're a guy, and that's what guys do. Though, most don't have the ability to walk through walks or turn invisible." She smiled at his blush before the two came together in a passionate kiss.

"Hands where they can be seen, people. There's a child entering the room," Jazz said, a smirk on her face at the annoyed glare her brother gave her.

Before Danny could say anything, Danielle stumbled into the room, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Sam smiled and pulled away from Danny's embrace as she walked over to the preteen, kneeling and drawing her into a warm hug that Danielle gladly returned.

"How you feeling, sleepyhead?" Sam asked, ignoring the slight scowl she received from her daughter.

"I wasn't that sleepy," she grumbled. "But I do feel better now." She paused for a moment, hanging her head as she looked at the ground and the guilt of everything that had happened weighing heavy on her. "I'm…sorry…"

"What? Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Maybe, but if I hadn't been such a loud, smart mouth and rude to-" Danielle caught herself. She couldn't really call that woman her grandmother; not after what she had said and done. "If I hadn't mouthed off to Mrs. Manson, she wouldn't have gotten angry at you and she probably wouldn't have slapped Daddy like that."

"I still can't believe that she slapped you," Jazz said as her anger started to rise a little. "There's something wrong with that woman. No offense, Sam."

"None taken. And as for you," she said as she directed her attention back to Danielle, holding her gaze as she stared into the baby blue eyes she has come to love from both the two hybrids. "You didn't anything wrong. My tension with them had been building for a long time now. In fact, if it wasn't for my grandma, I, sadly, probably would have already tried to move out on my own a long time ago. My parents have always been on this kick and as much as I don't wanna admit it, I knew this was coming, and knew that as soon as they found out about you, they would probably hit the roof. But let me make myself 100% clear. I love you and your father more than anything and anyone else in the world, and don't you ever forget it."

Danielle smiled despite the tears in her eyes and the small bit of guilt she still held, and hugged her mother again, never wanting to let go. Danny walked over to them and kneeled down to receive a hug from his daughter as well.

"Kids, can you come down here please? We need to have a family meeting," Maddie called up the stairs.

The four teens walked down the stairs and into the living room where Tucker was sitting on the larger of the couches, waiting for his friends to show up. After taking their seats, Maddie took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the conversation.

"Now, as you all know, due to some unfortunate circumstances, Sam has had to move in with us," she said, scanning the room to make sure everyone was paying attention. "Of course we are more than glad to let her in with open arms because she is family, as are you, Tucker," she said with a reassuring smile to the two teens. "Moving on. Because of this, we will have to go to the school and have your address changed to have our home listed as your home address. However, since we are technically not your legal guardians, it may take some time to get some of your information changed like your emergency contact."

"I understand," Sam said. "I'm already planning on contacting a lawyer to have myself emancipated from my parents, and once I get that settled, it shouldn't be a problem."

"But how are you going to convince them that it's a good idea?" Danny asked.

"Easy. I've spent most of my life taking care of myself since they were always busy and away on trips. Plus, my grandma knows a really good lawyer and she said will testify on my behalf if need be."

Maddie nodded, glad to see that Sam was already on top of things which would make this easier for all of them. "Since I'm sure you don't want people knowing about you living here for now, we'll be sure that everything that happens at the school is in confidentiality. I would also like to talk to you two about the sleeping arrangements. We don't have a problem with the two of you sharing a bed and a bedroom, but we are trusting you to be responsible and mature about this. As your sister made very clear earlier, we don't need any more surprise grandchildren for a while."

Sam and Danny's faces turned red in embarrassment. Sam had known that this was a conversation that they were going to have to have eventually, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing for her or Danny who, apparently, had a similar conversation with his family earlier. Jazz and Tucker were snickering at their discomfort while Danielle, who knew nothing about the birds and the bees, was considering the possibility of have a sibling sometime in the near future.

"On that note, your curfew will still be 10 o'clock unless otherwise talked about or if there is a ghost attack. Danielle, yours is 9 o'clock unless you are with them, Jazz or Tucker, but again, unless specified before hand or if there is a ghost attack."

All four nodded their heads as they took in all the info that Maddie had given them.

"Hey, Tuck. Is there any way you can get Danielle into the school system at the middle school?"

"What? I get to go to school?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course you do. No daughter of ours is going to grow up without an education," Danny said with a grin.

"I won't be able to until I have all the information and birth certificate made up as well as putting her in the government records. I'd say a week….maybe four" he muttered the last part.

"Four weeks!? What am I supposed to do until then?" Danielle asked.

"Calm down. It's simple. We'll home school you," Danny said, placing a hand on her head.

"That's a great idea, Danny. Jack and I will teach her during the day and you kids can tutor her and teach her the more extracurricular courses in the afternoons," Maddie said as she folded her arms over each other.

Everyone nodded in agreement on the plan that they had set for the future and started on light conversation before being interrupted by the sound of a cellphone going off. Sam groaned knowing full well who it was without even looking at it, and ignored it. A few seconds after it finished ringing, the phone beeped, notifying her of a voicemail to which Sam deleted without even listening to it. Danny wrapped his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder. Danielle got up and went around Danny to sit on Sam's other side where she leaned against her mother reassuringly. Maddie smiled before turning to Tucker who had the same happy grin on his face.

"Will you be staying for dinner?"

"That depends. What are you guys having?" he asked, the grin never leaving his face.

"We were going to order out pizza. We could also use some help on tweaking some things on the Specter Speeder if you wouldn't mind."

"You had me at pizza," he said as he got up to make his way to the lab, Jack and Maddie close behind. Jazz, clearly getting the signal as to what was going on, got up and headed toward her room, telling everyone if they needed her, she would be reading in her room. All was quiet as the small family of three relaxed on the couch together, enjoying each other's presence.

"You know," Danielle said, looking at her parents, "despite everything that has lead up to all this, I'm glad I have the both of you here with me."

Danny couldn't help smiling at the young girl. "Ellie's right. This is nice, and I love having both my girls here with me, safe and sound."

Danielle scowled at him, trying to hide the pleasant feeling she got every time he called her his girl. "Don't call me that. Besides," she grinned, hopping off the couch and transforming. "You should probably be focusing more on what you're gonna name my little brother or sister." She laughed at the look her parents gave her before turning intangible and running off.

"Yeah, you'd better run!" Danny yelled with a smile before turning back to Sam who was smiling at him too. "Though, maybe planning another kid wouldn't-"

"Keep dreaming, ghost boy," she said before pulling his smiling face into a passionate kiss.

Unbeknownst to the two, or the rest of the family for that matter, just outside their home, a new breath of life came into the plants that had, for some unknown reason, started to lose their color and wilt earlier in the day. The plants glowed bright green as they sprang back up, and a faint glow shone from them, replenishing the flora in a way that has never been seen before.


	10. Chapter 10: Roommate Rumble

Chapter 10: Roommate Rumble

Sam clenched her fists angrily as she looked around the room with both disgust and extreme irritation.

Clothes thrown everywhere. Candy wrappers, soda cans and other various junk food items littering the floor. Random books and papers all scattered over and under the desk and shelves. The place an absolute pigsty and she had had it with the condition of the small bedroom, especially since she had told the owner of all the mess to clean it earlier.

"Danny!" Sam yelled in anger as she stomped out of the room and down the stairs. "I can't believe it. Who could live in a room like that? Nobody could possibly be that messy! Not _even_ a pre-teen with ghost powers!" Upon her arrival to the main floor of the massive home, she could hear the distinct noise of talking coming from the direction of the kitchen.

Sam growled as she made her way into the cooking area to find Danny, Danielle and Tucker at the table, eating sandwiches that they had made and watching something on TV that Sam had no interest in whatsoever. Sam let another growl escape past her lips as she walked over in front of the small counter top monitor, blocking their view and making it very clear that she was irritated and that it had probably only increased with them ignoring her and her rage.

"Hey! We're trying to watch something here!" Tucker protested, somehow oblivious to her anger. Sam turned toward him and, just from the glare she gave him, caused him to shrink back and sink lower into his seat, wishing he could take back his last statement.

"Everything ok, Sam?" Danny asked though he clearly didn't have to because even a blind person could see that she was upset. The fiery glare, that he was sure would have sent him up into flames if she had that as a ghost power, only confirmed it even more so.

"No, everything is NOT ok, Danny!" she snapped as she threw her hands into the air for added effect of how mad she was. "I thought I asked you to clean the room three days ago!"

Danny sighed, but resisted rolling his eyes, knowing that that wouldn't help him in anyway.

"Yeah, and I told you I'd do it this weekend."

"It's Sunday afternoon, Danny!"

"So?"

"So!? So there's garbage everywhere, random clothes all over the place that probably need to be washed and your books are everywhere around your desk! I mean, it's no wonder you never have your homework. You probably can't ever find it up there! Danielle keeps _her _room cleaner, and she's twelve! I know guys aren't the neatest creature on the Earth, especially when they're teenagers, but that is just ridiculous, Danny!"

Danny narrowed his eyes and glared at her as his anger started to boil.

"Get off my back, Sam! Yeah, the room's messy, but I told you I'd get to it when I'm less busy!"

"Excuse me!? Who do you think you're talking to!? And you've spent the whole weekend on the couch with Tucker, stuffing your face with Pizza and watching stupid, macho action movies! You couldn't get any less busy!"

"Well, so what if I have!? I mean, is it so bad that I actually like to relax once in a while when I don't have to worry about school or fighting ghost!? I'm not gonna spend it cleaning!"

"Well when are you gonna get it through your thick skull that you're not the only one living in there anymore, Danny!? I'm not gonna live in that room the way it is!"

As Danny and Sam stared each other down, yelling back and forth between each other, they were oblivious to the small audience of their best friend and daughter, who was horrified and scared at the way they interacted with each other. How could they yell and be so cold to each other like that? Didn't they love each other? People don't yell at each other when they love each other! Sure, she's seen both of angry before, but never would she have thought she would see her father this angry, and at her mother no less! Not to mention her mother's temper which could be deadlier then an active volcano!

"Um…guys…" Danielle said quietly, a bit of fear running in her veins.

Danny, ignoring his daughter from his lack of hearing her, instantly got to his feet and made his way toward Sam, getting dangerously close into her personal space, an act that they all knew pissed her off like no other.

"Yeah? Well, if you don't like it, you don't to stay in _my _room," he said in a low voice, though everyone still heard it, and crossed his arms over his chest. A collective gasp came from both Danielle, who looked like she was about to have a heart attack, and Sam, who flew into a whole new level a rage no one knew was possible.

"You know what, THAT'S FINE!" she yelled as she headed for the front door.

"Oh, so now you're just gonna leave!? Just like that!?"

"Dad!" Danielle yelled as she put her hands on the table and leaned forward.

"Yeah, I am! Because I need to get away from you since you feel the need to and wanna act like a fucking child!" she screamed as she yanked the door open and turned to look at him once more. "I swear, sometimes, I don't know why I even put up with you, Danny!" And with that, she slammed the door, making her way down the street to who knows where.

"Mom!" Danielle yelled again as she watched her mother walk out the door. Danielle could feel a tight feeling building up in her, a fear she had long since put away after her fight with Vlad. Her fear of losing another parent. After Vlad had tried to destroy her and Danny the first time, she would have dreams and always cried to herself when she felt lonely because he really was, as much as she hated to say it, the closest thing she had ever had to a parent, and to feel his betrayal and watch him walk out of her life, was something that broke her heart, and something she never wanted to feel ever again.

After finding out that Danny and Sam where her parents, she couldn't take it, knowing that it could happen all over again. Though a part of her was concerned that they wouldn't have wanted her, her biggest fear in that situation was that if she did get to have them as parents, she would lose them just like she had Vlad. She couldn't go through that again, and seeing her mother walk out of the door like that was just too painful a reminder of what she feared the most. It just wasn't fair. But that's just how life goes, and if she knew anything about life, it's that it was never fair.

Danny let out a frustrating growl, catching Danielle's attention once more as his eyes glowed an angry green. In an effort to keep from doing something he knew for a fact he'd regret, he turned on his heel and headed toward the basement stairs. A cold sweat broke out on Danielle's face as she saw him making his departure as well.

'_No! I can't lose both of them!' _she thought in fear as she fought back tears.

"Dad! Where are you going!?" She cried in worry, but trying not to make it seem like she was yelling at him as well; there had already been enough of that for her taste today. She hopped off her chair, but didn't advance any further for fear of him lashing out at her, as well, in his anger. Danny turned around to face her, but the look on his face caused her to flinch slightly. Upon seeing the terror behind her eyes, Danny's gaze softened a bit, easing Danielle's tension enough for her to speak again. "Ar-aren't you going to go after Mom?" Upon seeing the anger return to his face once more, she really wished she hadn't said anything at all.

Without another word, Danny turned and continued his way into the basement. Danielle's eyes widened as she cautiously followed behind him into the lab. A bright light flashed as her feet touched the floor and she turned to stare at her father's back in his ghost form. His broad shoulders were tense as he stood in front of the open Ghost Portal. Danielle stared at him quietly as the bright green glow of the swirling door to the other dimension added to the frightening glow of his already ghostly aura. Danny turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"No."

"No?" She asked in a whisper so low, she wasn't even sure herself if she had actually said anything. Though she wanted to ask again, a bit more forcefully, she knew she couldn't; raising her voice to him in this state was a sure fire way to feel the wrath of his anger and a guaranteed punishment. "What do you mean?"

"If she wants to get pissed over something so insignificant, and feels the need to stomp out of the house like a child, then that's fine by me," he said turning around fully to face her. Danielle wanted to mention that he was about to do the same thing, but knew it wasn't the time nor her place to say such a thing. Not in the state of mind he was in.

"But Dad, what if something happens to her?" she asked as tears started to build in her eyes and her voice started to get quieter. She knew it. Her worst fear really was coming into reality, and she hated it. "What if she doesn't come back? Don't you love her?"

Danny's eyes grew hard at her question as well as an angry scowl gracing his face. Danielle felt her heart skip a couple of beats as she started to panic and wish she hadn't decided to question his love for her mother. Not right now. Maybe later when he was less angry she could ask and it'd be ok. But not now.

Danielle waited for what she was sure was going to be a loud, angry shout from him, and the sheer terror his booming voice would unleash upon her. She could feel her legs trying to move backwards and head back up the stairs, but she willed them not to move, mostly due to her being afraid; one wrong move could lead to a very bad result if she wasn't careful. Imagine her surprise when he turned around and headed toward the portal.

"Go upstairs," he said with his back to her. Danielle blinked a few times at the calm but clearly stern tone to his voice. She knew he was mad and was going into the Ghost Zone to blow off steam, but she also remembers hearing about the last time he did that and how he ended up the victim in a story written by the Ghost Writer. She knew she shouldn't let him go alone, and wanted to stop him or at least go with him so she could keep him from making a similar mistake.

"Ma-maybe you shouldn't go…into the Ghost Zone…or at least, not alone," she said softly, turning her gaze to the ground.

"No," Danny said quickly without a second to even consider what she said might be for the best. "You are to stay here. Do not leave the house." Danielle knew that she was forbidden to leave the house alone because, even though she had been living there for almost two weeks, and the reporters have stopped coming by for interviews all the time, they still didn't want too many people getting more video of her and turning on her like they did him when he first started to fight for the town.

"But-Dad-"

"End of discussion, Danielle!" he said as his voice rose, striking fear in her heart as was its intended purpose. "I'm not going to say it again. Stay. Here." With a quick glared over his shoulder that ensured she would not speak again and glued her to her spot, he took off, head first, into the Ghost Zone.

Danielle felt her legs shake as they were finally allowed to move once more, all nervousness and fear leaving with his departure. She knew he wasn't mad at her, and would be back once he had calmed enough, but she still couldn't help the fear that naturally came to her. It was the unknown command that made her bend to his will, as well as Sam's, though it was not from fear as she knew neither of them would ever actually do any real harm to her. As much as she wanted to follow him, she knew better then to try to disobey him.

"I'm sure he's fine…" she reasoned with herself as her voice shook a little and she started back up the stairs. "Maybe I should go after Mom. She is a bit more level headed than-" Danielle paused as she thought about it. "You know, on second thought, I'm sure they could both use a little personal time."

As she found herself in the kitchen again, she was surprised to see Tucker still sitting at the table, eating Danny's sandwich after having finished his own, and acting as if nothing had just happened.

"Um…aren't you gonna say or do anything!?" she asked.

"Nope," Tucker said, taking another bite of the sandwich. "Hmm…needs more mustard. And less tomato."

"Tucker! Get serious!" she said, slamming her hands on the table. "Those two are angry. Angrier than I've ever seen either of them, and worse-they're angry at each other! What are we going to do!? What are we gonna do!? What if they split up!? What if my mom doesn't come back!?" Danielle could feel herself hyperventilating as she struggled to return her breathing to normal.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Tucker said as he walked over, kneeled and placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in her icy blue eyes. "Danielle, you need to calm down and breathe, ok?" She opened her mouth and took a deep breath, only holding it for a second before releasing it as well as all her panic. "Good. Now, I've gotta go. I've got some mayor stuff to take care of. You gonna be okay here alone for a bit?" he asked. His only response was a small nod. As he stood, he placed a hand on her head, pressing her denim beanie more into her scalp. Danielle looked at him, confused about the smile on his face. How could he be so relaxed about all this? "Don't worry about them. They've fought before. It'll all blow over soon as they both stop being stubborn." Giving her a quick wave, Tucker made his way out of the door, leaving Danielle alone and restless with her thoughts.

"I don't care what Tucker said. I've got to do something to fix this before it's too late. But what?" She said as she paced back and forth in the kitchen. Then, like a lightning bolt, it hit her. "Well, if Mom wants a clean room, and Dad doesn't want to do it, I guess I'll just have to do a little housekeeping," she said with mischievous smile. "Goin ghost!"

As she yelled out her father's signature battle cry and threw he arms into the air, her body flashed as her two white rings formed around her body and travelled over her, changing her into her Phantom form. Turning herself intangible, Danielle floated through the ceiling and into her parents' bedroom where she surveyed the damage of the job ahead of her.

"Eww! Gross!" she said, holding her nose. "It smells like a locker room in here! No wonder Mom was so pissed about this. Ugh. Well, I guess I'd better get started on this. I wish I was better at duplication. This would go so much faster."

Danielle started with the garbage. Although would rather have blasted it all into oblivion, she knew that would just leave burn marks all over the place, and that would have just turned into one more thing she would have had to deal with. She groaned when some of the candy stuck to her glove, but it only got worse as she somehow, though how she did was beyond her, got taffy stuck in her ponytail. She cursed whoever above for the creation of such a sticky mess, and vowed to stay away from it for a long time. After spending almost half an hour figuring out which strands of white hair had taffy in them and which didn't, she was finally able to cut the few out with a ghost ray blade made with her fingers.

She quickly flew down to the kitchen and grabbed a black garbage bag and flew back into the room, throwing the various wrappers and soda cans into it before grabbing her father's waist basket that was beyond overflowing, and depositing the contents into her bag. Phasing her head through the wall, and seeing that the coast was, she quickly turned invisible and dropped the bag of trash into her families outside bin.

Danielle flew back into the room and decided that the laundry was probably the next thing that should be done. After gathering all of the clothes off the floor, including more than a few pair of Danny's underwear, Danielle phased into the laundry room, and put them into the machine.

"You know, I probably should have paid more attention to Grandma when she was showing me how to use this thing," she said as she floated in front of the machine, the various buttons flashing in front of her. Danielle sighed as she slouched her shoulders. "Even the washing machine is Fenton brand. I mean, I can't believe that she and Grandpa honestly believe that ghost could infect and hide in your clothes…then again, it wouldn't be that surprising. I just hope I won't have to worry about getting shocked." Danielle cautiously pushed a button on the machine. When nothing happened, Danielle looked at it with worry, but jumped back when the Machine beeped to life and jumped around a few times before starting up and filling the inner tub with water and detergent.

Danielle let out a sigh of relief as she levitated in place. "Thank God. I really wasn't looking forward to having to fight off Dad's underwear if it came to life. It's scary enough without moving."

On her way back to the bedroom, she grabbed a bucket and cleaning supplies for later. She placed the bucket on the floor and went over to the desk that was littered with random papers and books. Deciding it would be best to sort them into different piles, she started with the books, which varied from school text books, comic books, magazines and, to her surprise, even a few ghost books from the Ghost Zone. After placing the comics and magazines in the desk drawer and the books on the shelves, she crossed her legs and floated in place while organizing the various papers.

Once those where all settled and put away, she grabbed her cleaning supplies and went to work. She flew around, wiping down the desk and the dresser, dusted the shelves, the lamps and the model rockets Danny still had, and even get every speck of dirt off the windows and computer screen. She saved the floor for last knowing that it would take her the longest.

"I'd better take my gloves off. Don't want the cleaning products to fade them," she said as she slipped them off and looked at her pale hands, or, more specifically, the violet purple color that Sam had colored them earlier that week. Danielle sighed, remembering how her Aunt Jazz had insisted on the three of them having a girl's night so that they could get to know Danielle a bit better. It had been fun, up until the point where they wanted to a makeover on her. After almost a half an hour of negotiating, she agreed to getting her hands and feet painted and a small amount of make-up, but was very vocal about keeping her hair the way it was.

Thinking back to the night and how much fun she had with them made Danielle a little sad, but she knew she didn't have time to cry over it right now. She had to finish getting the room cleaned. That would fix everything.

Dumping the cleaning product onto the floor, she took the brush she had and began to scrub the various stain and spots left on the floor with vigor, determined to get them all. She was going to make that room glow. Once the floor was clean, she began to scrub the walls, and even the ceiling, just for good measure.

Wiping a hand across her forehead, she was a little upset at the spots of missing polish that had come off of her nails, but ignored it as she looked at the cleanliness of the room, a sense of accomplishment and a job well done filling her tired body. She glanced at the clock to see that it was close to dinner time, meaning that everyone would be home soon.

"Wow. I can't believe I spent over four hours cleaning," she said as she slipped her gloves back on and raised her hand to her mouth, trying to suppress a yawn. "I really should practice my duplication more often. I think a before dinner nap is well deserved." She said, making her way over to her parent's queen sized bed which had recently been switched out with Danny's old full size one. Danielle climbed under the covers and wrapped herself up before falling into a deep sleep and unconsciously turning back to normal.

Unfortunately for her, a ghost had picked that particular moment to attack, and with her being the only person in the house at the moment, it went straight for her.

The large blob of ectoplasm slithered into the room via the cracks in the doorframe before reforming. Danielle's ghost sense shook her body, leaving an icy chill in her throat, but she simply wrapped herself tighter into the comforter. The ghost smiled evilly as its tentacles moved closer to the girl before wrapping one around her body and the other around her throat. The ghost brought her closer to his body, preparing to absorb her into himself, but let out a shriek of pain as his left tentacle that was wrapped around her throat was separated from his body, causing his hold on her windpipe to collapse and fade into nothing on the floor.

The ghost turned to see a very angry Danny Phantom and Sam Manson, completely equipped in the Fenton Peeler, blaster at the ready.

"Alright, pal. You've got until the count to 1 to drop my daughter before we blast you into oblivion!" Danny said, hands glowing a bright green color.

The ghost simply laughed as his arm regenerated and he started to absorb Danielle again.

"Why do they never listen?" Sam mumbled, firing a blast into the ghost side. Letting a roar of pain and anger, he turned around only to come face to face with Danny, whose eyes were now glowing a bright blue.

"You know, you really should be thanking me right now," he said with a smirk as the ghost started to freeze over. "She's pretty vengeful and doesn't forgive easy. Least I'll make this quick."

The ghost shrieked as it dropped Danielle who hit the floor with a loud thud that startled her awake. "Ow. What the heck-" she stopped when she say the frozen ghost in front of her before it was shattered into pieces by a well placed punch by Sam before she turned off the Fenton Peeler and raced over to Danielle, enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Thank goodness we got back when we did. Are you alright?" Sam said as she pulled back and started examining her daughter from head to toe. Sam stopped when she noticed the very little remnants of nail polish on her nails.

"Yeah, I fine. But I just wanna know one thing," she said, looking at both Sam and Danny who had turned back to his human form and clamped the top on the thermos. "Are you-I mean, you not gonna-no, wait, I should-" she stuttered, finding it hard to ask the question because of fear the answer. "You guys…splitting up?" she asked quietly as a few tears started to come to her eyes.

Sam blinked at her and turned to look at Danny who smiled at her and walked over to them. Sam turned back to Danielle and hugged her tight as Danny wrapped his arms around them both.

"Of course not. Trust me, it would take more than a messy room to break us up," she said, wiping the tears from her daughter's face.

"Yeah. Besides that, roommates always fight. I remember once I had to share my room with Jazz for almost 2 months while Mom and Dad were repairing hers because one of their inventions had blown up almost half the house. We almost killed each other, it was so bad," Danny said, causing everyone to laugh. "But seriously. I'm sorry about earlier, Ellie. I know you were probably scared, and I didn't mean to do that. I'll make it up to you when we all go out for ice cream tonight."

"Well, that's good. I don't think I could stand to lose either of you guys. I've already gone through losing a parent. I don't wanna do it again. And that ice cream sounds really good," she said with a smile.

"And you won't ever have to," Danny said before sighing. "Well, I might as well get to cleaning the room," Danny said, but paused when he looked around to see that the room was spotlessly clean. "Wow…what happened here? I don't think this place has ever been this clean before."

"Um, well," Danielle said, rubbing the back of her neck with a nervous laugh. "After you guys both left and I was home by myself, I was kinda freaking out thinking that you were gonna split, so I figured that since the room was the problem, maybe it could be the solution too. So, I spent the whole day, cleaning this place from top to bottom."

"Oh, Ellie," Sam said as she moved some hair from her daughter's face. "You didn't have to do that. Now you've definitely earned some extra scoops of ice cream."

"Gee, now you tell me," she said with a roll of her eyes and a smile on her face at the prospect of getting more ice cream. "So, how did you guys make up anyway?"

Sam smiled as she held up her left wrist which was sporting a bright blue bracelet that shone beautifully in the light. Danielle was in awe as she held Sam's wrist and gazed upon the beautiful jewelry.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"Yeah. Danny made it for me," she said.

"Made it? But how?" Danielle asked as she looked at her father.

"With my ice powers. Ghost Ice doesn't melt and isn't effected by normal temperatures. Only way to melt it is with ghost powers. I wanted to give her something to say I was sorry for everything. "

"And I got him a new video game he's been talking about for weeks. To help him relax a little more," she said with a smile.

Before any of them could say another word, a loud explosion could be heard under them. All three got to their feet as raced downstairs to the laundry room where the sound had come from. Danny yanked the door open and stepped back as a flood of water and bubbles splashed out in front of them. Danny turned to see the washing machine jumping around violently, crashing into walls and throwing more water and bubbles everywhere before a mouth full of sharp teeth and glowing red eyes appeared on the screen on the machine, which then decided to roar at them.

"I knew an ecto-powered washing machine was a bad idea," he grumbled as he transformed.

"Yea. Not to mention that this thing made no sense when Grandma tried to teach me how to use it," Danielle said as she stretched. "Well, looks like you get to clean something after all, Daddy," she grinned before walking away with Sam right behind her who was laughing her head off.

"If you're not done with the laundry by dinner, we'll be sure to bring you back some ice cream," Sam called as she closed the door.

"Hey! That was my idea! You can't-" But he never got to finish his sentence as the washing machine chose then to slam him into the wall by covering him with wet clothes that it fired at him like a cannon. Danny emerged from the pile with a pair of his boxers in his mouth and sighed in annoyance.


	11. Chapter 11: HomeSchoolSick

Chapter 11: Home-School-Sick

After almost 4 weeks of being home schooled (mostly to get her used to having a single home and a family, but also to avoid the prying eyes of the press), Danielle was starting to go stir-crazy with cabin fever, and couldn't resist the urge to look out the window, daydreaming about being able to go around freely without being accompanied by someone older then her.

"Danielle, pay attention," Maddie said sternly as she stood in front of the digital board.

"Sorry, Grandma," she said with a sigh as she looked back at the notebook and textbook placed in front of her at the kitchen table.

"Now, as I was saying, if Y=3 and Z=30, in the equation 3x+y=z, what is X?"

"Um…" Danielle paused, reviewing the notes she had taken before. "X=9?"

"Very good, sweetie," Maddie beamed before turning back to the board.

Danielle let out a sigh of relief, relaxing into her chair. If there was one subject she hated, it was math. Although, with being home schooled, she wasn't really enjoying _any _of the subjects she was supposed to be learning from her family. It was always ending badly, one way or another.

Science:

"Um, grandpa, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Danielle asked nervously as Jack continued to mix various chemicals on the lab table. The once clear liquid that was contained in small vial was now a bright glowing red that was admitting a small amount of heat, though Jack had not noticed.

"Nonsense! I was doing this kinda stuff before you were even born!" he boasted as the mixture finally hit its peak, and started to shake the vial violently in his hand.

"Yeah, that's what worries me," she muttered as she transformed into her ghost form. "HIT THE DECK!" she yelled, flipping the table and her lab book in front of her over and going intangible as an extra precaution. A sudden flash of light illuminated and bathed the entire lab as the chemicals exploded in Jack's hand. Danielle covered her ears as the whole room seemed to shake from the reaction and all the noise in the air seemed to disappear. When the light finally faded, smoke cleared and Danielle turned tangible again, she proceeded to peer over the table to find Jack still standing, hair blown back, covered in soot and the right half of his jumpsuit missing. Jack opened his mouth to say something, but only managed to cough up more soot before falling over backwards. "Oh my god! Grandpa!" Danielle cried as she ran around the table and kneeled next to him. "Are you ok?"

Coughing a few more times, Jack managed to throw her a thumbs up and a smile before finally speaking.

"Never-'cough'-better, sweetie. But let this be a lesson to you; never play with the chemicals in the lab without you grandma's supervision.

English:

"Alright, Danielle. I want you to read pages 120 to 160, and write a one to two page response paper on it, due by the end of the day," Jazz said as she placed a book in front of the young girl.

"Ugh. Do I have to?" she groaned tiredly as she sat at the kitchen table and resisted the urge to yawn.

"Yes, and I don't wanna hear anymore about it," Jazz said with a bit of a sternness in her voice as she placed her phone in her purse. "Have a good day," she said, kissing her niece on the cheek, much to Danielle's annoyance. Jazz smiled as she made her way toward the backyard where her car was, pausing in the doorway to look back at Danielle one last time. "And remember. Stay. In. The. House."

Danielle let out a frustrated sigh as she scratched her head. Of course she knew she wasn't allowed outside because of the press, which had yet to let up about her and was still itching for an interview, but the constant reminder from every single person who did and didn't live in the house was really starting to work her nerves and getting tiring.

Checking the time, she realized that it was only about fifteen minutes to eight, and much like her father and mother, she wasn't happy about being up so early, especially when she of all people should be able to sleep in. Realizing her parents and aunt wouldn't be back until at least 3:15 that afternoon, and that her grandparents where probably going ghost hunting for a majority of the day, she figured she had at least seven hours to do her work. Smiling at the thought, she hopped out of the chair she was sitting in and ran upstairs into her parent's room where she proceeded to play a few hours of _Doomed,_ increasing her character's level by ten, and took a quick nap.

With four hours left, she trudged down the stairs and back into the kitchen where she made herself a sandwich to help her ease her hunger and focus better on her paper. An hour later, it was high noon, Danielle had finished the reading but was now stumped on how to even begin the paper. Just as she had given up and set her pen down, Danielle felt the familiar cold sensation of her ghost sense as it passed her lips.

"Well, it never hurts to take a little study break," she said with a grin as she transformed. Grabbing her thermos, and phasing threw the roof, she set off in pursuit of the ghost that had set off her sense.

Unfortunately for Danielle, she had spent more time fighting then she had thought. First, she had to take on a pair of the Ecto-Pusses as they attacked the park, and from there it only got worse as she had to fight both a ghost wolf and a ghost snake at the same time. That was more difficult then she had hoped since both wanted to eat her, and she had yet to master the art of duplication.

Before she could even let out a sigh of relief, she was startled by the yelling of an annoying ghost that snuck up behind her.

"BEWARE!"

Danielle shrieked in surprise as she turned around to find the one and only Box Ghost floating behind her, hands waving around wildly like a mad man as he continued to rant.

"I am the Box Ghost! Here to make you life miserable with my cardboard controlling powers of Doom!" he said.

"Oh god. It's only you," she said as she put her hand on her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "And here I thought I had an actual problem on my hands."

The Box Ghost blinked in confusion as he took in the white hair, green eyes and black and white hazmat suit with the familiar "DP" logo on the front and compared them to his memory of the infamous ghost boy who had thwarted him numerous times. The height difference, the more feminine look in the face and eyes, and not to mention the slender waist and hourglass figure that curved from the hips up to the small breast; yeah, something wasn't right here.

"Hey! You are not the Ghost Kid!" he declared in irritation.

"Uh, correction. I am _a _Ghost Kid, just not _the _Ghost Kid. The name's Dani. Dani Phantom. And that's Dani with an I. And you are the Box Ghost, the most annoying, and probably pathetic, ghost in the entire Ghost Zone," she said with a confident smile.

"BEWARE! For I have nothing more to say to you. But tremble before my awesome might as I attack the Ghost Boy at his school!" he yelled before streaking toward Casper High.

Danielle squeaked in fear as she took off after him as fast as she could. With little effort, she caught him, grabbing him by the back of his overalls. She yanked him hard, pulling him away from the school as fast as she could, praying to whatever power above that she hadn't been seen.

"Are you insane!? Do you know what he would do to you, and more importantly ME, if he knew I was out here fighting ghost when I'm not even supposed to be outside right now without someone else to accompany me!?" Without hesitation, she pulled out the thermos she'd been using all day and sucked him into it.

'_And not only him, but Mom, Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Jazz would hit the roof.' _

Just when she thought it was all over and she was finally done for the day, her ghost sense went off once again. Letting out a growl of frustration, she turned around only to get hit with a bright blue ball, causing her to become frozen solid in a block of ice.

"Yay! Now you can be my friend!" Klemper said, hugging the block in which she was frozen. After almost 20 minutes of being frozen and another 15 minutes of fighting the overly friendly ghost, she finally captured him, only to realize that it was five minutes past three.

"Ah! I am so dead!" She said as she took off at full speed toward home, not even realizing the irony of her statement. Landing on the front porch, Danielle reverted back into her human form, exhausted from the long day. Opening the door, she was met with a very unpleasant site: Both her parents, grandparents and Aunt, standing in the living room, arms crossed and stern looks on their faces. Ever have five adults looking angrily at you? Not fun.

"Crap," she muttered. Needless to say, she was not happy having to spend the rest of her weekend writing papers and being grounded to her room with no computer for disobeying them. Although she tried to argue that she hadn't been caught, it was virtually useless when her picture showed up on the news of her fighting both the snake and wolf. "I hate the press," she said as she sat at her desk and wrote the paper she had blown off.

History:

"And that is how the first PDA was thought of, constructed and distributed," Tucker said as he pointed to the schematics he had displayed on the board. Turning around, his smile fell at the site of Danielle's denim beanie, rested over her eyes and a light snore coming from her. "Jeez. Everybody around here is the same. No respect for the tech."

Psychology: 

"So tell me, Danielle. Based on the evidence presented here, what is wrong with the person in this case?" Jazz asked.

Danielle rolled her eyes, head propped up on her elbow as she tried to pretend she cared, but was failing miserably.

"They're a fruitloop?" she guessed in a bored tone.

"Danielle! This is serious! You need to be able to analyze a person's motives and moves if you ever want to become a better ghost hunter, and fight more effectively," she said, holding up a picture of the man. "Like him. In his profile, it says he's a loner and generally doesn't communicate well with others. What do you think that means?"

"That he's a _lonely _fruitloop? Like Vlad? Who needs a cat? Like Vlad!?" she smiled excitedly, causing Jazz to smack her own forehead in disbelief.

Art:

"Now, while we're here, I want you to try to tap into your inner darkness. I want you to feel it and let the poetry really reflect how your inner soul feels. Let the darkness that ravages your soul out with your words," Sam said, smiling a creepy smile that made Danielle feel uneasy.

Looking at her mother with a bit of fear, Danielle swallowed down the creepy feeling that was invading her as it radiated from every person in the shop.

'Why couldn't I get a normal art teacher?' she thought. "Um, Mom? Not that I'm not all for poetry and expression, but did we really have to come to this creepy bookstore for a poetry slam?" she whispered, taking in the many depressed stares and angry words coming from the various audience members and the current performer, most of which looked paler then she did in her ghost form.

"No worries. As natural creatures of the night, we express ourselves better in an environment that reflects the way we feel."

Danielle groaned, placing her head on the table as she foresaw it being a long night.

Gym:

"Hold still!" Danielle yelled, throwing another round of ecto-disk at her opponents.

"You're gonna need better aim then that if you wanna beat us," the four Danny's said in unison. "Looks like you inherited Dad's aim," they said, laughing at her frustration.

Danielle growled as her hands charged with energy. She was mentally cursing herself, as well as Vlad, for not being better at duplication, and charged full speed at the closet duplicate who barely had enough time to stop laughing and register it before getting slammed into the lab wall and vanishing in a bright light. Turning on her heels in mid-air, she let a fury of disk fly from her hands and feet, effectively distracting two of the Danny's. Both covered themselves with an ecto-shield, only to see the young halfa had disappeared.

"Where'd she go?" they said in unison once more.

"Keep your eyes on the ball, boys," Danielle yelled. The two looked above them to see her become visible again as she launched a giant ball of ecto-energy, hitting them both and sending them to the ground, ending their time as well. Danielle looked around the lab as she landed on the smoldering burn mark of her previous attack, desperately trying to find her last opponent. "Come out, coward, and fight me like a man!"

"Actually, when playing Hide and Seek," Danny said, appearing in front of her and nearly knocking her off the balance, "it's more traditional to say 'Ready or Not, here I come'," he said with a smile as he grabbed her by the arms, effectively restraining her movement. Danielle struggled to break free of his grip, but with him being older then her and obviously having more muscle with being a teenage boy, knew it was no use. Just when she thought it could get no worse, her blood literally ran cold at the site of his eyes as they went from their usual green to a bright icy blue. Danielle panicked as her whole body was covered in ice, eliminating the last of her mobility.

"Hey! No fair! You can't freeze people in dodgeball unless you hit them with an ice ball, cheater!" she protested as he phased his hands out of the ice.

"Well considering how you slammed my duplicate into the wall, it looked more like football then dodgeball. Besides, I prefer freeze tag," he said with a smirk.

Danielle growled at his as she struggled to free herself from her frozen prison.

"Let me out of here!"

"Nope. You broke the rules, so, now you gotta sit in the penalty box," he said as he made his way to the stairs and changed back to normal. "And since you can't phase out of ghost ice, I'll be back to free you later."

"What! No! Dad! Come back! Daddy! Daddy!" she screamed at his retreating form.

* * *

Danielle pouted at the memories as her stomach growled in anticipation for food. Noticing that Maddie had her back turned and was still ranting on about some equation that she didn't care about, Danielle turned intangible so as not to make any noise to alert her grandmother. She quickly slipped out of her chair, and floated over to the cookie jar resting on the counter behind her. Danielle smiled as her hand passed through the jar and she got a hold of the sweet treats she desired.

"Danielle Lilith Fenton!"

Danielle jumped in surprise before cringing at the tone and usage of her full name, a feat that only occurred when she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to or was in serious trouble. Turning herself fully tangible again, she turned around to find her mother standing behind her, hands on her hips and spider backpack still on her back. Danielle gave a nervous smile like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

'_Man, if that's not ironic.'_ she thought.

"Hi, Mom. How was your day?"

"Mine was fine. Now do you mind telling me why you're using your powers to steal cookies from the cookie jar, literally, behind your grandmother's back?"

Danielle sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry. I just got kinda hungry. Sitting at a kitchen table all day is boring," she said with her hands behind her back, a cookie in each hand.

Sam rolled her eyes and held out her left hand. "Fine, but you can only have one. And I don't want any excuses or complaining about eating your veggies at dinner."

Danielle smiled and handed over one of the cookies while eating the other in one bite.

"So where are Danny and Tucker?" Maddie asked as she cleared the table of all papers and books.

"They're filling out a couple last minute papers for Danielle. Tucker said that they should be all ready and in the system soon, and that she can start school next week."

"Oh thank god!" Danielle said in relief. "I didn't know how much more of all this home-schooling I could take."

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Maddie said.

"No offense, Grandma, but between lunch coming to life last week and having to use various tables in the house as cover from Grandpa's weapons and experiments, I think a little normality sounds good. Or, at least, school wise."

"Fair enough. But for the record, you don't come from a normal family, dear," she said with a smile as she walked out of the room.

"Yeah, no kidding! What other kid has to worry about their food giving them an attitude?" she asked as she shared a laugh with Sam.


	12. Chapter 12: Starting School

Chapter 12: Starting School

"And remember, no ghost powers except in an emergency," Danny said. "If anyone asks, don't show off. It'll just come back to haunt you. No pun intended."

"Yes, sir," Danielle said with an annoyed grunt threw her teeth.

"And make sure you pay attention to what your homeroom teacher says. Also, it's best if you avoid the jello at lunch. I still say that it's not edible."

"Noted," she said, her patience wearing beyond thin.

"Try to avoid the jocks and the cheerleaders. Or, at least, try to avoid getting on their bad side."

"Danny," Sam said, nudging his arm as she could almost see the ecto-energy, clear as day, radiating off of Danielle. "Maybe you should-"

"One second, Sam. And another thing-"

"Okay, Dad! I get it!" Danielle shouted, turning around to face him as she threw her hands in the air. "You don't have to keep telling me the same things over and over again. I might only be 9 months old, but I know what to do, ok? Stop worrying!"

"She's right Danny," Sam said as they started to continue their walk down the street. "You're worrying way too much about that. You should be more worried that you're turning your daughter into an ecto-time bomb with all the ecto-energy she's radiating right now."

"What energy?" Tucker said as he looked upon Danielle. "She looks perfectly normal to me."

Sam paused to stare at her friend as if he had grown another pair of eyes. '_How can he not see it? I can practically feel it coming off her like a wave of heat.' _Opening her mouth to question him, she stopped mid-sentence when she looked back at Danielle who, though still very angry, was no longer glowing the bright green she had been not a even thirty seconds ago and was no longer exuding the ghostly energy she had been.

"Uh…yeah. Anyway," she said, catching up to them all and continuing her previous train of thought. "You're worrying way too much, Danny. I haven't seen you worry about someone this much since that time Jazz had fallen for Johnny 13."

"I still can't believe that you liked him," Tucker said as he looked at her.

"I didn't like him. It was merely a phase of rebellion," she said, but couldn't help the blush that crept onto her face as everyone looked at her in disbelief. As the embarrassment set in, she couldn't help but to turn away from their gazes. "Well…I didn't like him a lot, anyway…"

"Look, I'm sorry, ok?" Danny said to Danielle. "I'm just really worried about you, Ellie. I just want you to be safe and be able to learn without too much trouble. I just…don't want you to have the same kind of problems me, Tucker and Sam had."

"Problems?" Danielle asked, genuinely surprised.

"Um, have you seen our classmates!?" Tucker said in annoyance. "Those guys have been rubbing us the wrong way since the 4th grade."

"What Danny's trying to say, is that making enemies easy and early on can be something that will burn you pretty bad. So try to find some good friends that you can depend on, but don't trust just anybody," Sam said as she laid a hand on Danielle's shoulder.

Danielle let out a sigh, nodding her head before rounding on Danny. "Ok. I promise. I'll behave, I'll listen to my teacher, I'll avoid pissing off any and all A-Lister types of people as much as possible, and won't, under any circumstances other then dire, use my ghost powers. Alright?" she asked as she put her hands on her hips in a manner that mirrored Sam perfectly.

Danny smiled and nodded his head. "Right. But you forgot one thing," he said with a grin as she growled, blue eyes flashing electric green. "Just be sure to have fun and enjoy yourself. Even if it's boring."

"Great way to motivate your daughter into liking school, little brother," Jazz said with a roll of her eyes while Danielle's mouth dropped open as she looked at him in shock. She quickly turned, putting a slight pout on her face before they continued their walk.

"Hey, I'm just being honest with her. Besides, not everyone can be a space alien dropped here on Earth for being an annoying know it all like you," Danny said with a smile as Jazz glared at him.

Upon their arrival to the middle school not ten minutes later, Danielle was somewhat amazed at the size of the school which was about the same size as the high school.

"Casper Elementary. Wow. This really brings back some memories," Tucker said.

"Yeah, and not all of them good," Danny said as he turned to look at Danielle who had turned around to face her family. "Well, this is where we have to leave you, Ellie. Remember, you've got to get your schedule from the office, and call us if need us, and-"

"Danny!" Sam said, giving him a look that clearly said 'Shut up, now!' before kneeling in front of Danielle and bringing her into a hug. "Bye, Ellie. Be careful. We'll meet you here after school, ok?"

"Yeah, I got it," she said before giving both Tucker and Jazz a hug. Turning to Danny, she couldn't help smirking at him, and made sure to hug him a little bit tighter. "Bye, Dad. You really need to stop freaking out. You'll get gray hairs if you're not careful," she laughed.

Danny rolled his eyes as he stood to join the rest of the group, and gave her one last look before turning to his friends and sister and heading down the street toward their own school.

Danielle watched them for a few seconds before turning back to the school and taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. Though she would never admit to it, she was more scared then she could actually describe in words. She'd never been to school, and even though a small part of her was excited, an even bigger part of her was terrified and wanted to fly off to be with her parents.

'_I really hope I don't get mobbed by all the people. I don't think I can handle that all by myself,_' she thought as she began to ascend the stairs. As her hands grasped the door handle, she took one last breath for confidence and pulled it open. Entering the hallway, she was instantly surrounded by the sounds of lockers opening and closing, staff members making their way to their classrooms while sipping a mug of warm coffee, and kids of all ages, chatting, laughing and generally enjoying each other's company. Danielle looked around, waiting for the crowds of people to shout and scream and attack her for autographs and pictures. After about thirty seconds of nothing happened, she felt it was safe, and proceeded to walk through the halls slowly, looking about her new surroundings with a bit of wonder.

'_Wow. Funny. This place kinda reminds me of Casper High. The design is basically the same. Maybe a little smaller. The colors are definitely similar. Though I guess I like the gray and red. But a crow for a mascot? This town needs more originality.' _

As she continued to look around the hallway, a small sign caught her attention. Reading it, Danielle realized that she had found the main office, and couldn't help smiling at her good fortune. Opening the door, she quietly walked across the soft plush of the gray carpet that matched the school colors, and over to the desk where an elderly woman with short gray hair and rounded glasses sat, turned away from her, typing on her computer.

"Um, excuse me?" Danielle said, folding her hands over each other in front of her and pressing them into the denim of her skirt in an attempt to quell the butterflies in her stomach.

"Oh my, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you come in. How may I help you, young lady?" she said in a caring voice as she turned to face Danielle.

"My-uh-cousin, said I was supposed to pick up my schedule here at the office."

"Oh, yes. You must be the new girl. If you'll just give me one moment, I'll print it out for you," she said, turning to her computer. "Can I have your name please?"

"Danielle…Fenton," she said a little hesitantly. '_I best be careful about _who_ I tell my full name too. The less people who know, the better.'_

"Ok, Ms. Fenton. Here is your schedule," she said, handing the small paper to Danielle with a smile. "And let me be the first to welcome you to Casper Elementary."

"Thanks a lot," Danielle said as she looked down at the name plate on the desk, "Mrs. Raytena."

"Of course, dear. Now, run along. You don't want to be late on your first day."

With a smile and a quick nod, Danielle turned on her heels and headed out the door, back into the hallway. Looking down at her schedule, Danielle saw that her homeroom was only a few doors down, and that her locker was just outside of it. As she continued down the hall, the first bell rang out loudly threw the school, bringing the halls even more to life as people started to make their way to their classrooms. As more and more people passed her, Danielle folded her schedule up and made a note to head straight for her homeroom instead of spending who knows how long trying to get her locker open.

As she finally came upon her homeroom, she could hear the faint sounds of chatter of the other students, and felt her nervousness come back to her tenfold as her heart beat sped up and a light sweat was beginning on her forehead.

"Ok, come on. Pull yourself together, Danielle," she whispered. Remembering her own words caused her to smile at the irony. "Jeez. The last time I said that, I was melting into a puddle of goo." Taking one last breath, she opened the door and walked in, gazing at the many students in the room.

"Hello. You must be the new student."

Danielle jumped at the sudden voice behind her and looked to see a woman, who was probably no older then her grandmother, standing behind her. The woman had long brown hair and bright green eyes that were both kind and stern.

"Uhh…yeah…yes," she corrected herself in an attempt to sound more polite. "I'm Danielle…Fenton."

"Fenton?" she asked, causing Danielle to blush and look around in her peripheral vision. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Danny and Jazz Fenton, would you?"

'_Oh god. Here it comes.'_ She thought in a panic. "Yes, I am. They're my cousins."

"Oh wonderful!" she said with a smile as she placed a hand softly on Danielle's shaking shoulder. "No need to be nervous, dear. I'm not going to hurt you, and neither is anyone else here. I know it must be tough being new, but I promise, if you ever need anything, you can always talk to me."

"Really?" Danielle asked, her nerves calming a bit. "Thank you. And, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know Danny and Jazz?"

"I had both of them in my class when they were your age. They were both very bright."

"Yeah, well, Danny must have grown out of that. He's definitely not that way now," Danielle said with a grin as her teacher gave her a smile.

"Well, I'm sure you're just as, if not even more bright. I'm your new teacher, Mrs. Otree, and it's very nice to meet you, Danielle."

"Thank you. And, I prefer Dani. With and "I", and not a "Y"," she said sheepishly. Mrs. Otree smiled and nodded as the second bell rang out and she turned to get everyone's attention.

"Students, quiet down, please," she said. Everyone turned around to the front of the class, and many were surprised to see the new person in their classroom. A few started to mummer and mutter softly to each other about her, asking who she was or if anyone knew anything about her. Danielle started to fidget under the harsh gaze of the people who stared at her, making her more uncomfortable then the time she was walked in on her parents get a bit friskier then she needed to ever see. Much like Danny, she was not big on being the center of attention unless it was in her ghost form where 9 times out of 10, she was more focused on the battle then what was going on around her. "Now, we have a new student joining our class, and I want you all to treat her with the same respect and kindness that you do each other," she said before turning and nodding to Danielle.

"Uh…Hi…everyone," she said with a small wave as she swallowed her nervousness. "My name's Danielle, but you can call me Dani. And that's Dani with an "I", not a "Y". I've recently moved in with my aunt, uncle and cousins, and hope to get settled in and adjusted here soon."

"Wonderful. Now, Dani, if you'll have a seat, we'll get started. There's an empty desk in the back." Danielle nodded her head, gripping her backpack a little tighter before making her way to the seat. As she walked to her seat, a few of the students watched her. Some looked bored while others smiled at her, which eased her nervousness a little. Once firmly planted in her seat, she sighed, feeling as if the hardest part was over, and pulled a notebook out of her custom black backpack with a spray painted white "DP" on it.

"Whoa, you like Danny Phantom?" A boy behind her asked as he stared at her backpack.

'_He's kidding, right?' _Danielle thought to herself. The backpack was a dead giveaway, and it couldn't have been more obvious she liked Danny Phantom then if she had written it across her forehead. She turned her head a little to see a boy with an average complexion, dark brown hair and brown eyes staring at her. Danielle cringed a little at the look of slight idiocy on his face, almost as if he was having trouble focusing on her.

"Yeah, no. I don't. I'm the one person on the entire planet who doesn't like the guy who kept it from being obliterated," she said as her voice just seemed to drip with sarcasm.

"Oh. Ok, sorry," he said as he looked back at the board. "It's just, you have a "DP" on your bag, and I figured you liked him."

Danielle almost smacked herself in frustration. '_Does this kid even understand what sarcasm is? He can't be serious right now.' _

"Ok, for the record, that was sarcasm. And yes, I like him. Even if he is an over-protective, lazy, annoying-" she said as she started to rant, not really realizing what she was saying.

"Sar-what?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Nothing. Just forget it," she said, glad he wasn't smart enough to have heard anything she was saying.

"Well, you kinda sound like you know him."

Ok, maybe she wasn't that luck after all. Though, what he said did bring a question to her mind: why had no one seemed to be bothered or even notice that she was here? Could people really have forgotten about her already? No, she decided. There was no way that after being stuck in her house for the last month that everyone had forgotten about her. So why was it that none of the students or faculty seemed even the slightest bit phased by her presence? She had transformed in front of everyone, on television no less! Sure, at the time she was wearing pajamas pants and a hoodie, but could that have really made such a big difference then to what she wore now?

'_Maybe I have changed a bit. I mean, my hair is a little longer. And now that I think about it, didn't I have my hood up to cover my head? I must have put it up to cover my head since I was so used to my beanie. It must have been covering my face more than I thought it was. Maybe I'm not as recognizable after.'_ She thought with a bit of a smile. If no one recognized her, she wouldn't have to worry about being mobbed by questions or crazy people!

'_Now that I think about it, there has been a shortage of press lately. Thank goodness for that . I don't think I would have been able to deal with them at 7 am.'_

Remembering that she was still talking to the boy behind her, she quickly hid the smile on her face, and gave a simple reply that she hoped would quell his thirst for answers.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just good at reading people."

"Whoa. That's so cool. Do you, like see words all over their bodies? Are you like a superhero?"

Danielle felt her body stiffen at his question. Maybe the boy wasn't as slow to pick up on things as she thought.

"Jordan, stop being a weirdo and leave her alone," the girl sitting to her left said, glaring at the boy before putting on an apologetic smile. "Sorry about him. I hope you don't get scared off by that. I swear we're not all like that here."

'_Compared to what I've fought and had to deal with, a nosy 7__th__ grader is nothing.' _She thought with a smirk on her face.

"No, not at all. I've been here to Amity a couple of times before and I've seen some crazy stuff before, so it's no biggie."

"Well that's good. I'm Lindsay Otree, but everyone calls me Lin."

"Otree? So, you're related to Mrs. Otree?" Danielle asked as she compared the girl's green eyes and blonde hair to her teacher's.

"Yep. She's my mom. But don't listen to what anyone says. I do NOT get special treatment just because I'm the teacher's daughter. I actually have _more_ pressure to do well."

"Don't worry. I completely understand," she said as she thought about how the world expected her to be just as good as Danny.

"So what exactly brings you to Amity?"

"Well like I said, I recently moved in with my cousin's family. My parents and older sister had died in an electrical fire," she said as she tried to seem sad, which apparently worked pretty well.

"Really? Wow. I am so sorry. It must be so hard adjusting to a new place."

"Kind of. I'm not really used to staying in one place for too long, so it'll take some getting used to."

"Well I'm sure you'll like here. Do your cousins go here too?"

"No. They're both in high school."

"Casper High?"

"Yeah."

"My older brother and sister go there. What are their names?"

"Uhh…" Danielle said, hesitating as he cheeks started to turn a light pink color. Turning away from Lin's gaze did little to ease the red hot feeling she was getting from her face as she contemplated her next move. In retrospect, even if people didn't know who she was now, it was only a matter of time before they found out. But was sooner really better? Sneaking a glance back to her left, she found that Lin was now looking at her with concern.

'_Ok, I've got two options. I can totally lie my butt off right now, or I can completely spill the beans and prepare myself for the impending freak out. Oh god, why do neither of these options seem any good?' _

"My…um…cousins are…Danny and Jazz Fenton," she said as the pink blush on her cheeks changed into a redish color. As Danielle turned back to her young blonde classmate, she was met with a face of shock and a jaw hanging more open the Ghost Portal when Jack forgot to close it for the night.

"No way. You are so lying right now," she said as a smile crept to her face.

"I wish…" Danielle mumbled. "All those damned reporters around my house…"

"Oh my god! That is so cool!" she whisper yelled. "What's he like!?"

"He's an overprotective know it all jerk," she said, smiling as she thought about how annoyed he got with Jazz. "But he's really caring. Even if I don't need it all the time."

"Well with a family of ghost hunters, I'm sure you're perfectly fine. So does that mean that you hunt ghost too?"

"Yeah, I do. And not to toot my own horn, but I'm the second best in the family."

"Second?"

"Right after Danny, of course," she said with a smile. "I can give Danny a run for his money though."

"How can you give him a run for his money if he's got super powers?"

"I'm, uh…just a really good hunter, is all," she said nervously.

"If you say so. But I gotta know; is it scary fighting ghost?"

"Sometimes it is, but not because they're scary. It's mostly because of how strong they can be. Some are really powerful, and some are just really annoying. But it's a huge adrenaline rush."

"Cool! Do you know any ghost? I mean besides Danny?"

"I know a few. There's this dog Danny named Cujo. He's really cute and really playful. But if he gets angry he turns into a giant monster dog. Then there's this yeti ghost Danny told me about who's the king of a frozen wasteland in the Ghost Zone. And a princess ghost who can turn into a dragon with this amulet. I got to meet her and she's really nice. There's also a kid captain ghost named Youngblood who can only be seen by kids or anyone who thinks and acts like a kid."

"Wow. What about that other girl ghost? The one everyone was talking about that looked like Danny and said-" she stopped for a moment and just stared at Danielle who could tell by the look in her eye that something wasn't right. "and said she was his cousin…"

"Um…I have no idea who you're talking about," she said as she tried to look as convincing as possible. '_God, I could really use a distraction right now…'_

"No no, I swear. She looked just like him and-" but she was soon cut off as the entire building began to rumble and a loud, shrill laugh echoed round them. Many of the students began to scream in panic as the sky outside the window turned a bright pink color and long puff of green smoke rose from the ground. In a flash of bright green light that blinded everyone for a moment, the smoke took form, revealing none other than Desiree, the wishing ghost.

Danielle stared at the ghost in both horror and irritation.

"Not the kind of distraction I had in mind," she mumbled, smacking her hand over her eyes as everyone else around her screamed in panic. "Of course. The one day I wished for a distraction, and what do I get? A freaking ghost! Can this get any worse?"

"If it is a distraction you wish for, then so shall it be!" Desiree yelled, laughing in mockery at the obvious twist she had played on who ever had just mentioned a distraction.

"Me and my big mouth," Danielle said as she placed her head on the desk.


	13. Chapter 13:Ghosting Through School

Chapter 13: Ghosting through School

To say Danielle was having a normal day was pretty accurate. To say it was a normal day for everyone else was a completely different story. Though many, if not all, of them were used to the almost daily ghost attacks that happened in their town, not many had ever seen a ghost up close like they were now, and it was this fact that was causing the students to scream in fear. Danielle, covering her ears at the loud screams that echoed across the room, silently cursed the wishing ghost to whatever dimension that she hailed from, but kept quiet as Danny had warned her about saying the words "I wish" around this particular specter.

_In retrospect, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised,_ She thought bitterly as she dug around in her backpack and pulled out a Fenton Thermos. _This was probably about as normal a day I was ever gonna have here at school, and even this was only bound to end badly. Well, it was fun being normal while it lasted. _Danielle was quickly snapped out of her thoughts as a whistle flew through the air, catching all the students' attention and causing everyone to quiet down.

"Children, please remain calm, follow the procedures and file into the hallway," Mrs. Otree said as she placed the whistle back into her pocket. Danielle watched as everyone rose from their seats and started to make their way toward the classroom door. Following their lead, she quickly got up from her desk, but instead of getting in line with the rest of her classmates, she headed straight for the window. As she took a head count, Mrs. Otree noticed that Danielle was now across the room, struggling to get open one of the windows to the classroom that seemed to be jammed. "Danielle! What are you doing!? Get away from the window!"

"Danielle, what are you doing!? Are you nuts!?" Lin yelled as she turned back to look at the new student.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She said as she finally got the window open with a final push forward and looked back at everyone. "I'm doing my job; fighting ghost!" with a scowl still on her face, Danielle hopped out the window and onto the lawn, running directly over to Desiree who had her back turned and was cackling evilly. Danielle rolled her eyes at the cliché villain behavior and readied herself for battle. "Hey, wishing troll!"

Desiree turned around, glaring at the small child who had the nerve to call upon her in such a manner.

"How dare you! You shall pay for insulting my beauty, you insolent child!"

"Yeah, I don't think so," Danielle said as she pulled back the sleeve on her right arm to reveal a Fenton Wrist Ray, a hum sounding from its fully charged glowing tip. _I can't believe grandpa was right about bringing this thing. Though if Dad would just let me use my powers, I wouldn't need it, _Danielle thought with a small grin as she pointed it at the figure before her.

"Ha! You believe you can beat me with such a meager toy!?" Desiree taunted before being blasted into a tree. Rising up, she growled as she looked at the somewhat surprised look on the young girls face and the trail of green smoke rising from the small blaster.

"Wow! I can't believe how strong this little thing is," she said, looking at the gun, then back to Desiree with a grin as it began to hum again. "To answer your question, I didn't think that originally, but I'm always up for an easy fight."

"Danielle!" Slightly startled by the calling of her name, she turned to find her teacher and classmates standing by the windows, watching her. "Get away from there, quickly!"

"Everyone get away from the windows!" Danielle yelled, taking her eyes off of Desiree to warn them. Unfortunately for her, this was all the opening she needed as Desiree smiled evilly and waved a glowing pink hand at Danielle.

Danielle turned back around to find that he wrist ray she had was now glowing as it transformed into a slithering white snake with glowing red eyes. The snake hissed at Danielle as it started to travel up her arm, causing her to scream and drop her Thermos. She quickly grabbed the snake by the tail and pried it off of her, tossing it away from her. Danielle held her arms around her body, shaking as she tried to calm herself.

"Aaah! I HATE SNAKES!" she screamed, glaring at Desiree who was now cackling evilly at the young girl's exposed fear. "Lady, you are _really_ starting to piss me off!"

"Oh, worry not, child," she said as her ghostly tail slithered on the ground and wrapped around Danielle, causing her to squeak in surprise as she was lifted off the ground and brought to eye level with Desiree. "I shall make your demise quick. It is unfortunate that your wish for my defeat is a wish that I cannot grant." Lifting her right hand, Danielle watch as it began to glow before transforming into a long glowing blade, causing her to gulp as she began to panic. Holding the sharp end up to Danielle's neck, Desiree smiled as she prepared to finish the small pest quickly and move on with her plans. In the distances, Danielle could faintly hear the screams and cries of her classmates as they watched what they were sure were her last moments alive.

_Ok, I think this counts as an emergency!_

Putting on her brave face, though still slightly nervous, Danielle charged her energy into a tight ball around her body, building it up for release. "Maybe you can't, but I can!" She said, her eyes changing from blue to electric green, the energy practically flowing threw her irises'. "Now. Let. Me. GO!" She shouted as she released all of her energy in a huge burst of green light. Desiree screamed as she covered her eyes and uncoiled her tail from the sting of the attack, releasing Danielle into a free fall. Turning upside down, she headed straight into a free fall, a smile plastered on her face. "I'm Goin Ghost!" she yelled, closing her eyes.

Everyone watched in awe as her body flashed and two radiant white rings appeared around her exposed stomach and began to run over her body, changing her outfit into a black and white jumpsuit. As the rings reached her head, everyone gasped as her once pitch black hair changed into a pure, perfect white, and her skin became extremely pale with a light glowing aura around her. As she opened her eyes, the once beautiful, calming blue was replaced by a fierce and powerful green.

Just as she was about to hit the ground, her body became intangible and went straight into the ground. Many of the students began to search, wondering if she had been completely erased off the face of the earth in that small instant. Danielle, who was safely formulating a plan underground, pulled upward in a u-turn and popped up, turning tangible once more and unleashing a flurry of Ecto-Disk at Desiree who was completely caught off guard.

Much to Danielle's horror, Desiree dodged them all of her attacks, and seemed to be growing larger.

"What the hell!? You're getting bigger?"

"That's right, child! The more wishes people make, the stronger I get, and with everyone down below wishing to remain unharmed and to stay alive, I shall continue to become stronger! All of you ghost children are nothing but a nescience, and I don't particularly like children. Meaning, I'll just have to destroy you!" She said as she, once again, started cackling, a sound that had already been beyond annoying to Danielle by this point, and prepared to attack, only to be hit from behind from another Ghost ray. Desiree turned around and growled, only to be hit with a fist that sent her flying.

"Sorry, Desiree, but that's one wish that's never gonna happen," Danny said as he flew over and hovered next to Danielle who couldn't help grinning at the site of her father.

"Took you long enough. I was starting to think I was gonna have to kick her butt all by myself," Danielle said as Danny turned to face her.

"Sorry bout that. I was in the middle of a test and figured you'd call if it was anything really bad," he said as he returned the grin.

"Oh really? And what made you decide to come?"

"I remembered how stubborn and irrational you are, especially when fighting, and got here as soon as possible." Danielle rolled her eyes at him and was about to remind him that all of her moves were technically his, when a loud roar caught their attention and caused the two to turn toward Desiree who was trying to flee.

"I've had it with you, Phantom! Mark my words, you shall rue the day you messed with me! I'll be back!"

"I don't think so," Danny said, grabbing her by the end of her tail and pulling her back toward the ground. "I wish you would go back to your original size, get into the Fenton thermos and stay there until we put you back into the Ghost Zone!" With a strong yank over his shoulder, Desiree flew and slammed onto the ground. As she got back up and hovered, she growled, raising her hands over her head, causing Danielle to shift into a fighting stance while Danny simply smirked.

"So you have wished it, so-Oh you know the rest," she said as her entire body began to glow. The thermos, which had been sitting by on the ground, floated into the air, glowing the same bright green that she was, and opened its lid, releasing a bright light that grabbed onto her and pulled her into it before closing, tightening and falling to the ground.

The sky began to clear as everything turned back to normal. Danny turned back toward Danielle who was floating next him, her jaw hanging wide open.

"You know, you keep floating like that, then a bird's gonna make a nest in your mouth," he said, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes.

"Are you kidding me!? She really just did that!? She really just put herself into the Fenton thermos!?" Danielle said as she finally came out of her shock.

"Yeah. That's the one thing she never can stop from doing. Since she has to grant every wish that she hears, I usually don't even bother fighting her sometimes."

"Noted," she said, sighing as she ran a hand threw her hair and looked at him with a smile. "Thanks again for the help."

"No sweat. You ok though? How's your first day going so far?" Danny asked, becoming serious as he floated over to her and started inspecting her for any injuries.

"Dad! I'm fine," Danielle mumbled as a small blush of embarrassment crept onto her face at his over protective nature. "And considering I've only been here for about 40 minutes or so, have had to deal with a ghost attack and have yet to be mobbed, I'd say, ok."

"Danielle!" Both Phantoms turned to see her teacher and classmates still at the windows, looking up at them in awe.

"Hey, you got Mrs. Otree. Jazz and I had her. She's really nice."

"Yeah, but considering that thanks to Desiree, any chance I had at having a normal school life is now completely shot, and that I possibly gave her a heart attack with jumping out of the window and transforming, I don't think things are gonna be the same for me as it was for you guys," she said, smiling a little and hugging him tightly which he returned. "Bye, Daddy," she whispered.

"Bye, Ellie. Be safe. I'll see you later," he said before letting her go and flying off, waving to the cheering crowd of students behind him.

Danielle sighed before descending to the ground and walking back to the window. As she got closer, she could see many of the students back away from the window, and could only feel more like an outcast as they stared at her.

_Great. Now I'm some kind of freak to them._ She could feel the rising of tears as they tickled her eyes, but held them back, determined not to show weakness in front of any of them, regardless if they rejected her. As she came up to the window, she quickly turned intangible and walked through the wall. As she emerged on the other side, many of the students gasp, some murmuring. Holding her head down, she quickly became solid again and transformed, many of the students gawking at her as she stood before them in her human form. As she stood before them, she was surprised when her teacher quickly ran up to her and, kneeling, pulled her into a hug.

"Danielle! Oh my goodness, are you ok?" she said, pulling back and looking her over, much like her father had.

Danielle was shocked for a second before finding her voice again and nodding her head.

"Um…yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Oh thank goodness. I was so worried about you out there," she said before turning back into her stern self. "That was very reckless, young lady. You could have gotten hurt. Now, I understand that you are used to this type of thing, but next time something like this happens, notify me when you're going off to fight, or you'll be serving a detention. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said, surprised that her teacher was taking this all so well.

"Good. Now, everyone, back into your seats so that we can continue."

"Wait a minute," Lin said, as she looked upon Danielle. "I think you have some explaining to do. Just who exactly are you? And how did you do all of that? Are you some type of a ghost?"

"Lindsey! That is very rude, and you know better! That is her business, and-"

"No. It's ok," Danielle said, stopping her teacher and looking down at the ground before raising her head with as much confidence as she could muster up. "My name is Danielle Lilith Fenton. I'm a half human, half ghost hybrid. As I'm sure you all noticed, I look like Danny Phantom. Well the reason is because he's my cousin and not long ago, my family died in a fire and Danny had to give me a blood transfusion so I could survive. I gained ghost powers like him, and now, I fight ghost just like him. When I came here this morning, I had hoped to keep my identity a secret, especially when it seemed like no one here knew who I was, so that I could have as normal of a school life as possible, but now I know that's impossible. So," she said, looking each of them in the eye before lowering her head again. "If you all think I'm a freak or something, then that's fine. I know what I am and what I have to do."

Danielle waited for any sign of how they felt, but no one said a word. The silence was starting to get to her, and she was starting to assume that they were all sneering or giving her a look of disgust, when someone finally spoke up.

"So, you're like, a superhero?" A boy asked. "That. Is. So….COOL!" he shouted.

Danielle looked up to see her classmates all agreeing with him and smiling at her as they all started asking questions about her life and about Danny. Danielle couldn't help the small smile that graced her face, despite the fact she was being overwhelmed by the questions.

"Ok, ok, everyone," Mrs. Otree said, getting their attention. "I know it's been exciting so far, but we do need to get on with class, so save the questions for Danielle for after class."

Everyone groaned, but returned to their seats. As Danielle took her seat, she looked over to her left and saw Lindsey who smiled at her and mouthed an apology. Danielle smiled back and shook her head, feeling as if a big weight had been lifted from her shoulders, though it only opened up a new worry of never getting a moments peace from her classmates.

_Ironic. I wanted to go to school to get peace from my family, but now I need to go home and get peace from school. Maybe I should just forget about finding peace._ She thought as class went on around her. When the bell rang, she didn't even have enough time to put her notes away before her desk was literally surrounded by preteens, all asking various question that she could not hear with them all asking at the same time.

Danielle, starting to become uncomfortable, turned invisible and intangible, phasing through the group who were still standing around her desk, searching for their new hero. As she walked out of the room, backpack in hand, she located her locker and attempted to put the combination in. As she continued to mess up the numbers, she became frustrated and lost her focus, turning herself visible again. A loud gasp caught her attention as everyone in the hall had seen her appear out of thin air and were now staring at her.

Danielle blushed as she looked at everyone, and turned back to her locker, finally getting it open and depositing her backpack and gathering her books for her second class. She quickly closed her locker, avoiding eye contact with everyone she passed by looking at the floor, but soon found herself on the floor, flat on her but.

_Ok, seriously, what is with me!? Why do I run into people every time I'm at a school?_ She thought.

"Why don't you watch where you're going!" the girl yelled as she stood up.

"Jeez, sorry. It was just an accident. No need to get your panties in a bunch," Danielle sneered back as she got to her feet as well.

"Um, excuse me? Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Well considering it's my first day here and it's only been about two hours since school started, that would be an obvious, NO. Though, even if I did know who you were, I probably wouldn't care considering your attitude right now."

"What did you say, you little skank?" the other girl said, standing over Danielle who was about half a foot shorter. "No one talks to Tammy Turner like that!"

"Correction, no _talked_ to you like that _before_. And considering the super high all white boots, extra small burgundy shirt, pound of make-up and plaid skirt that's smaller than mine and leaves nothing to the imagination, you've got some nerve trying to call someone a skank when it's pretty much written all over you. Now, if you and your Neanderthal of a friend will excuse me, I have a class to go to," she said, eyeing the brunette boy behind her who was slightly toned, an effect of still growing into his body.

"What'd you say?" the boy said, his long bangs hanging in his eyes as he took his hands out of the red lettermen jacket he was wearing. "Don't think just because you're a girl, I won't kick your butt. I'm not scared to fight a girl and will kick your butt all over this hallway."

"Oh, let me guess. You two are the popular kids, right? Little miss blonde and airhead is the snobby queen bitch, and you must be the arrogant jock who thinks he's king of the school, right?" she said in a bored tone with a hand on her hip and the other holding her books while eyeing the two boys, one with dark skin, the other with braces, and a girl who had awkward glasses, dark hair which were in two pig tails and braces, behind them. "And they must be your little satellite cronies."

"Why you-"

"Easy there, Timmy!" the bald boy said. Danielle, taking notice of his short sleeve shirt, sweater vest and khakis, wondered how he could really associate with the A-List in clothes like his.

"Yeah, don't you know who she is?" the blonde boy said, braces gleaming in the light.

"No, and I don't care, Chester. I'm gonna knock her into next week."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. She's really dangerous," the bald boy spoke up again.

"AJ's right. If you mess with her, you get be in a lot of trouble."

"And what the hell is so special about her?" Tammy asked, glaring at Danielle.

"She's the new girl everyone's talking about, Tammy," the second girl said.

"So what, Tootie. She's just some new kid, just like every other new kid. And I'm gonna do what I do to every kid that steps out of line. Put them back in place," Timmy said as he adjusted the pink hat on the top of his head.

"You dumbass! Don't you get it? She's cousins with Danny Phantom! She's the ghost girl that was out there earlier," Tammy said, looking at her brother with a look of annoyance before turning back to Danielle, a fake smile on her face. "Sorry about my brother. He can be a bit of a hot head sometimes."

"So I've noticed," Danielle said, hand still on her hip.

"So you're the infamous Dani Phantom everyone's been talking about."

"Yep. That would be me."

"Well let me introduce myself. I'm Tammy Turner and this is my twin brother, Timmy. These are our friends, Tootie, AJ and Chester. It'd be my pleasure to invite you to join our circle."

"Wow! Really!" Danielle said in mock enthusiasm. "Let me think about that. Um, NO!"

"What!?" Tammy shrieked. "What do you mean no!?"

"If you don't know what NO means, then you should probably go back to preschool. And by that, I mean, I'm not a shallow wanna be like you and I don't pick on defenseless people like he does. So don't bother cause I won't be joining your group."

Tammy huffed and glared at Danielle, anger pouring off of her as she tried to think of a good way to deal with this, but was coming up empty. Tootie, who was holding their books, became nervous, knowing that she would have to hear about all this later.

"You're going to regret that and everything you've said," she threatened.

"Only thing I regret is wasting my time talking to you."

"I swear, I am going to ruin you!"

"Oh, I look forward to seeing you try," Danielle said with a smirk. For added effect, she quickly flashed her eyes green, shocking all five of them, and was rewarded with a gasp. Giving them one last cocky smirk, Danielle walked away, contemplating what she had just done.

"Well, so far, I've been here two hours and have broke just about all of my parents rules," she said, a smile on her face. "If Mom and Dad find out about this, I'm so dead…well, deader. Well, at least the day can't get much worse, right?"


	14. Chapter 14: Learning Something New

Chapter 14: Learning Something New

Danielle groaned in frustration as she made her way to the cafeteria, sack lunch in hand as she rubbed her left temple, trying to massage the massive headache she had away. Ever since her first period, her day had been filled with nothing but constant annoyances. People were constantly asking her questions about her ghost powers, about Danny and everything else that came with being half dead. Her patience, though slightly better today than had been on any other average day, had become wire thin, and Danielle was ready to just start blasting any and everything else that seemed to annoy her. Especially people.

'_Why couldn't I end up like all the new kids you see on TV? Alone, avoided and awkward until the one person talks to them and ends up being her friend. That didn't seem all that great this morning, but now I'd die for it….and I really hate when I make undead puns to myself!' _ She thought to herself as she approached the cafeteria and could already hear the loud sounds of student chatter. After the constant attention she seemed to have been getting, when the lunch bell rang, Danielle made a quick, quiet, invisible trip to the bathroom where she hid until the sounds of the hall way quiet once more and the lunch bell had rung again, notifying her that everyone was now eating.

Danielle stopped at the door as her enhanced ghost hearing kicked in, and she heard what sounded like an argument.

"There's no way she's gonna sit with you. You guys are losers!" a boy yelled.

"Look who's talking! You guys are the ones always playing those stupid card games during free time!" She heard a girl yell back. "Why would someone cool like Danny Phantom's cousin wanna sit with you dorks?"

Danielle's mouth dropped open in shock and disbelief. They were fighting over her. Over who _she_ was going to sit with.

"Ha! You don't even know her name! Why would she wanna sit with someone who can't even remember her name?" the boy retaliated back.

Danielle groaned as her headache started coming back worse than ever. Why did everything have to be so complicated for her?

"Probably because Dad had to be stupid and let Mom talk him into going to the ghost portal," Danielle mumbled to herself. "There's no way I can go in there. Everybody's gonna want me to sit with them like some prize trophy or something. I'll never get a moments peace to actually get to eat my lunch. And If one more nerd proposes to me…" she growled as her free hand started to glow with energy. "Screw it. I'm eating outside."

Without any hesitation, she transformed into her ghost form and turned intangible before flying threw the opposite wall and into the school yard which, fortunately for her, was empty. Letting out a sigh of relief, Danielle quickly located a nearby tree that she could sit in, and lowered herself onto an empty branch. Once situated comfortably, she opened the brown bag that held her lunch and pulled out a note.

"Hope you're having a good first day. Your aunt and I packed your favorite sandwich and chips for you, and bought your favorite brand of juice. Lots of love, Grandma," Danielle said with a smile as she read the note out loud. "P.S., I made you a special batch of cookies, and snuck a few in the bag. Just don't tell your mom and dad. Love you, Aunt Jazz."

"Unless, of course, one of them happens to have ghost powers that they just so happened to use during _their_ lunch period, and just so happens to find out."

Danielle smirked as she turned around to find her father floating behind her in all his ghostly glory.

"Well, if that were the case, that parent wouldn't have known about this because that would mean that parent was being an over-protective and nosey spy, which they know both their daughter and girlfriend don't like, especially after the last time they spied on one of them. That would obviously mean that they were here without the _other _parent knowing it. So if that person doesn't want to get in trouble too, they won't say anything about the cookies."

Danny laughed as he floated over to the branch and took a seat next to her, barely shaking the limb at all. "Well, that parent will keep this little incident from the other parent in exchange for a cookie."

"Deal," Danielle said with a smile as she shook hands with Danny and dug into the bag, pulling out two of the sweet confections, one for each of them. Without any hesitation, she ate the entire thing in one bite, dusting off her hands before turning back to him. "So where does Mom think you really are right now?"

"I told her I forgot my science homework at home and left to go get it."

"And what will happen if she finds out you were lying?"

"Actually, I wasn't," he said with a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck and pulled out his homework. "I guess I was so nervous and worried about you and your first day, I just completely spaced and left it on my desk. I figured I could check up on you on my way back, but when I saw you sitting out here by yourself, in a tree, I got worried," he said as he eyes filled with fatherly pride and a small smile graced his lips. Instinctively, his hand came up and moved a few strands of her snow white hair out of her face, a jester he'd often do to Sam.

"Daddy, stop. I'm fine, really," she said quietly with a small blush on her face. Although she often found his over-protectiveness annoying, she couldn't help but enjoy his fatherly jesters, and smiled a smile that a little girl smiles whenever she sees her father at him. Though in public she would, at times, deny such things, Danny knew she loved it, and loved how red her face would turn, which was all the proof her needed. "You're embarrassing me, and I don't think I really need any more attention on me around here."

"So. Why _are_ you outside eating your lunch in a tree instead of in the cafeteria?"

"Because if I go in there, one of three things will happen. One, I could sit and have a nice peaceful lunch, which is definitely not going to happen. Two, everyone will sit and stare at me like I'm some celebrity that they all can't believe is really there. Again, not going to happen. And three, which will most definitely happen, is I'll go in there, get mobbed by everyone in there to sit at their tables, which will cause a mass fight to break out, and I won't get any peace at all, and I'll probably get proposed to again, and will make my already aching head explode, and I don't think I can take much more of everyone treating me like I'm some kind of goddess!" she shouted in exasperation as she continued to breath hard to regain her composure. Once she had calmed down, she noticed that Danny hadn't said a word. Turning to look at him, she was startled as his face suddenly went from calm and calculating to angry and almost beast like when his eyes seemed to flash a dark green color. "Da-daddy?"

"Who?" he said in a tone that was both dark and demanding.

"Wh-What?"

"Who? I want to know who it was that even had the NERVE to propose to you. If they think anyone is getting near you without _my_ permission, they've got a _very_ scary surprise in store!"

Danielle stared him in both shock and embarrassment.

"Are you serious!?" she shrieked at him. "After everything I've been through today, you're more concerned that a bunch of nerds want me to be their wife!?"

Danny paused for a moment before asking one very important question.

"How nerdy are we talking? Like, Tucker with his PDA on full tech mode nerdy, or Bookworm playing nerd poker while hiding from jocks, nerdy?"

"Sidney Poindexter nerdy," she said, her tone completely serious.

"Yikes. That is bad," he said, trying to hold back a laugh but failing.

"Shut up! Stop laughing!" Danielle shouted as she shoved him, her face burning red with embarrassment. As Danny continued to laugh, she growled, a warning he ignored. "Don't you have to get back to school!?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, finally gaining control over his laughter. "We'll be here to pick you up after school. Bye, Ellie." With a quick peck on the cheek and a wave, Danny bid her a goodbye and headed for his own school. Danielle grimaced as she wiped her cheek, still annoyed with his laughter.

"Ugh. This sucks. I wish there was some way to have fun around here," she said with a sad sigh. "I wish I had a friend and not a bunch of fans." _'Probably shouldn't say those words. Even with Desiree trapped in the Fenton Thermos.'_

"Maybe I can help with that."

Danielle turned around, for the second time on that tree branch, and found none other than Captain Youngblood floating there.

"Jacob!" Danielle cheered happily as she grabbed him into a hug.

"Ew! Gross! Cooties!" he yelled as he pushed her away. "And I told you to never call me that. My name is Youngblood!"

Danielle, however, did not take too kindly to this.

"Jacob Aaron Jemerson, I will call you whatever I want," she said with her hands on her hips before a smile came to her face. "So what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said as he tried to hide the embarrassment of being chastised by her.

"I go to school here. Today was my first day, and so far, it hasn't been all that great."

"I'll say. Who would wanna go to school?"

"Someone who doesn't want to become part of a pathetic pirate crew, like _some_ people," Parrot said from his place on the young ghost captain's shoulder. Danielle laughed at the scowl on Youngblood's face as she patted the small bird on his head, a jester she knew he liked.

"Shut up! I be a great captain."

"Who can't remember half the pirate lingo."

"Ok, enough you two," she said. "Like I asked before, what are you doing here?"

"I came here looking for something to do and thought you might wanna join me. My sister's in a bad mood again. She's been like this for weeks! I figured now would be a good time to get away from her, so I went through Phantom's portal looking for you, but when you weren't anywhere around his house, I figured I'd wander around town for a while. I was flying over when I saw you guys talking, so I stayed back out of his range so he wouldn't know I was here and came down once he was gone."

"Wow. Your sister's pissed? Again? That's rough. You know, you never did introduce me to her. What was her name again?" she asked, taking a long sip on her juice threw the straw.

"Ember," he said nonchalantly.

Danielle's eyes grew large in surprise and horror as she quickly spat the juice from her mouth and choked on the remainder.

"Ember!? As in Ember McLain!?" she squeaked quietly.

"Uh, yeah. Remember I told you she and I bonded after the first time I came here to Amity, and we've been like brother and sister. But she's been going on this tangent lately about how mad she was at Phantom."

"Oh god! Oh crap!" Danielle said as she started pulling at her hair. "Oh crap! Oh God!"

"Dude, what's wrong with you? Why are you freaking out?"

"Jake, whatever you do, you cannot, I repeat, NOT tell Ember about us being friends!"

"What! Why not?" he asked, hurt by her words.

Danielle saw the hurt in his eyes and quickly back tracked in her words.

"It's nothing against you, Jake. The last time Ember was here, Danny and I…well…kinda…beat her and…I kinda insulted her. A lot."

"Oh…that's not good."

"I know. She's super mad and almost kicked my butt into a fiery oblivion."

"No not that," he said nervously.

"Then what?"

"This," A female voice said. Danielle turned around and was instantly blasted to the ground by a pink fist of energy. As she crashed into the ground, she couldn't help but wonder how much worse her already annoying headache could get. As she sat up and raised her hand to her head, she looked up and almost screamed in terror at the site of Ember McLain as she floated over her angrily, ponytail flaring up like an inferno. "So. You're the dipstick who was always hanging out with Youngblood. Figures. He would hang with a goody-goody like you."

"Danielle!" Youngblood said as he floated down to the ground next to her before floating between her and Ember. "Lay-off her, Em. She's my friend and really cool. So…just leave her alone, okay?" Ember's glare quickly turned onto him, making him flinch. "Wh-what are you doing here anyway?"

"Why do you think, dipstick? I figured you got yourself into some kind of trouble again and came looking for you," she said as she flew down to him, slinging her guitar back on her back and grabbed his ear, causing him to yelp in pain. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT NOT TELLING ME WHEN YOU WERE LEAVING!?"

"I'm sorry! I just…well…you were so mad about Phantom, and you were working on music. And I know you hate being disturbed when you're working on it, so…I…kinda…just left. I figured you wouldn't notice I was gone and I could just sneak back in."

"Oh, just wait until I get you back to the lair," she said before turning her attention back to Danielle who was still sitting in the small hole in the ground she made upon impact with the earth. "And as for you." Ember slowly lowered herself toward the ground, coming to eye level with the frightened Phantom who, in her fear forgot she was a ghost herself, flinched back a bit. "You'd better count yourself lucky that he's got a soft spot for you, or else you'd be barbeque by now." She gave her one last glare before turning back to Youngblood who was rubbing his ear from the pain. "Get moving, Jacob."

"Yes, ma'am," he said as he hung his head low at the commanding tone in her voice that clearly stated he was in massive trouble. As Ember floated past him, he quickly turned around and waved a goodbye to Danielle before floating after the angry Musician.

"Wait!" Danielle yelled as she floated out of the hole and grabbed both Ember and Youngblood's attention. "Does…does this mean you're not going to kill me and kick my butt into a fiery oblivion?"

Everyone stayed quiet as the two young ghosts stared at the teen, who hadn't said a word, making Danielle sweat a bit. Finally, much to Danielle's surprise, Ember smiled.

"Nah. If the kid likes you, then I guess you're not too bad, Baby-Dip," she said as she crossed her arms. "But you tell that Dipstick and little Ms. Babypop that they better stay on their toes." With a quick sinister grin, she departed with Youngblood following close behind.

Danielle blinked in confusion as she, ungracefully, fell from the short few feet she was in the air, to the ground, and unconsciously turned back to her human form. Her headache seemed to have disappeared, but she was still somewhat disoriented as she tried to wrap her head around what all just happened to her.

"I don't know what the hell just happened, but I know for a fact that NO NORMAL KID EVER HAS TO DEAL WITH THIS KINDA CRAP!" she yelled to herself as she stood up, dusting her clothes off of all dirt. "Maybe I'm finally being given a-"

As if on cue, the bell rang again, signaling the end of lunch. Danielle didn't even get a chance to move before hoards of students started moving about and heading to class, some heading outside to gym. Unfortunately for her, she was now in their path, and they all quickly took notice of her.

"Hey look! It's Danielle!" A boy said. Everyone cheered and ran towards her, all of them yelling questions and fighting for her attention.

"-break," she said before groaning and putting her head in her hands. She quickly picked up her lunch, which was miraculously still intact, and turned intangible, sinking into the ground.

The rest of the day went on like this with Danielle almost never having a moment of peace from all of the fans she never knew she had, and her trying to figure out how exactly she came out of that conversation with Ember without any real harm. By the time the end of the day came, Danielle was often seen twitching in irritation in her seat, and when the final bell rang, she out of the room and flying down the hall before her teacher even realize that the day was over, and many of the students she passed by were left with a case of windblown hair. Danielle sat impatiently in a tree as she watched everyone either catch the bus home or walk with their friends, and drummed her fingers as she looked across the area for any sign of her family. When they finally came into site, she nearly screamed with joy.

"Finally!" she said as she dropped out of the tree and ran up to them. "What took you guys so long!?"

"Well, hello to you too," Jazz said sarcastically at Danielle's behavior. Danielle rolled her eyes before turning back to her aunt.

"Hello. I'm sorry for being rude, but we really need to go. I've had the most exhausting day both mentally and physically that I've had since the last time I was melting, and really need to get home and get something to eat."

"Oh, Ellie," Sam said and she kneeled and pulled her daughter into a hug. "I'm sorry to hear that. Wanna tell us what happened?"

"Well, first, I got into a fight with Desiree that I would have lost if it wasn't for Dad coming to help. Then, because of Desiree, I had to show everyone that I not only hunt ghost, but also that I have ghost powers and that I'm afraid of snakes. Then, I was bombarded with questions about my life and about being a Phantom. I've been proposed to by WAY more nerds then I ever wanted to or expected to be. After that, I ran into and pissed off the popular kids by accident, and couldn't enter the cafeteria for lunch for fear of being mobbed to death by fans. Then, Youngblood came to visit me and then I was attacked by Ember who I found out is Youngblood's adopted sister, but apparently since I'm friends with him, I've been forever pardoned from her wrath. Once they left, I was about to eat my lunch, but the bell rang and I was almost mobbed, again. Not to mention that I've been holding my pee in for the last two hours because I can't even go to the bathroom in peace, and I have a headache so bad, I think my head might explode. So I'm sorry if I'm a little testy right now!" Danielle ranted as she explained her day. Once she had finished, her shoulder fell as she huffed and tried to catch her breath for the second time that day. Looking at her family, she wasn't surprised at all to see them all staring at her with wide eyes and mouths hanging wide open.

Jazz was the first to come out of her stupor, and shook her head in both worry and pity for her niece.

"On second thought, you can have the rest of those cookies I gave you when we get home. Anyone who's had a day like that and survived deserves them. I mean, that's a messed up day even for _our_ family," she said as she walked over to Danielle and hugged her tightly. Danielle gladly accepted the hug, and relaxed into it a little as she felt somehow safer and more at peace with her family. Unfortunately, that peace didn't last too long either.

"Wait a minute, you gave her cookies for lunch, and didn't even ask us if it was ok?" Sam asked as she put her hands on her hips. "Jazz, we're trying to cut down on her sweets!"

"I know, Sam, but I was worried about her and didn't want her first day a school to be a bad one, and knew if I made her favorite batch of cookies, she could at least enjoy something."

"And in all fairness, Daddy knew when he came here to spy on me at lunch, and he bribed me into not telling you if I gave him one," Danielle said as an evil smirk came to her face.

"What!?" Sam said as she rounded on a now very nervous looking Danny. "Daniel James Fenton, you knew about this!?"

"What the heck, Danielle? We had a deal!" Danny said as he glared at his daughter but kept looking back at Sam who was now stomping toward him.

"Yeah, but since she knows about the cookies, there's really no point in me keeping quiet, and I figured if I was gonna get in trouble for it, it was only fair you did too," she said as she crossed her arms and continued to smirk at him. "You might want to run now."

Without a second thought, Danny quickly took off down the street with a very angry Sam following close behind as she yelled about how much trouble he was in.


	15. Chapter 15: Family Picnic Panic

**Hello, my faithful, wonderful readers. I'm sure you are all very excited about this new chapter, which will be very monumental in this series of stories which I have dubbed the **_**Parenting Series**_**, of my Danny Phantom stories. However, I am writing this author's note, something I have stopped doing because I feel that I should let my writing speak for itself, because I have started a new story called **_**War on Morality.**_** This is a story that I came up with that I feel is very good and will address the fact that Danny never really had to face an ultimate moral decision. Here's the description: **

_Danny's morality has come into question as he must make a decision that could not only potentially destroy him from the inside out, it could lead to the end of the world as he knows it. After a horrifying message from Clockwork that warns Danny of the return of Pariah Dark, Danny has to swallow his pride, and goes to Vlad for help building an army, leaving his family and friends without any explanation what so ever. Years go by before Danny returns not only to make amends with his loved ones, but to investigate the rumors of a ghost girl that has been protecting the town, only to find out about a daughter he never knew he had named Danielle. With the upcoming battle approaching, Danny calls upon her to help him lead his army of ghost human hybrids that have a bigger connection to her then she would have thought: they are her brothers and sisters. Will Danny be able to set aside his qualms of using his own children in a war that could potentially destroy both the world and the Ghost Zone, or are they all doomed before they even started?_

**So as you can see, it's a bit different then other stories and will be very good and very action packed. So please go to my profile, check it out and review. You will not be disappointed. Also, for reading all this, I've made this chapter longer. So thank you. Now, without further interruptions, here is chapter 15.**

Chapter 15: Family Picnic Panic

Sam stood on the roof of a building as she looked upon what was once a busy, vibrant city, but was now nothing but a land of ruin. Buildings, once proud and tall, now lay in rubble, trees and flowers replacing them. The local park, once the home of a large playground loved by children and parents alike, now held grass taller than most cars, though many of those too have met the same fate as the city. The citizens, once happy and carefree, have long since abandoned their homes, and those who haven't, met a fate of servitude or death for rebellion.

As she looked up the concrete, urban jungle, now truly a jungle, Sam smiled to herself, her leaf green eyes shining brightly with the feeling of accomplishment.

"It truly is a site to behold. This city, a once polluted metropolis, has been brought to ruin, a fate fitting such a place," she said in a low, seductive voice. Her arms were folded over her chest. Sam reveled in the feeling of the silk like dark green gloves that were adorned with thorns and matched her thigh high boots of the same material. The bright green leaves that made up her dress rested just above the top of her boots, and cupped her chest nicely, showing just the right amount of cleavage as it pushed up slightly, extenuating her bust.

"Indeed it is. You have done well here, my queen," a voice said from behind her. Sam remained smiling as she faced forward but addressed her visitor.

"Thank you. But I could not have done this without your help, my king."

A smirk graced Danny's face as he floated behind her, arms crossed over his chest and eyes shining a dark forest green instead of their usual electric. Landing softly, he walked over, placing a hand on her shoulder, and turned her around to face him. Their eyes met for a moment before he moved his hand to her chin, tilting it up as his lips found hers in a show of passion.

As they two showed affection to each other, a small black and white blur flew up the side of the building, landing in front of the two and bowing in their presence. The small head of white hair remained bowed, waiting for the two royalties to acknowledge them so as not to disturb them. As they pulled apart, Danny and Sam smiled down at the child before them who was showing them the proper respect.

"My king. My queen. I have returned," the girl said, looking upon the ghostly figures in respect and admiration.

"Danielle. It is good to see you again, my dear daughter," Danny said, wrapping an arm around Sam's shoulder, his finger her long straight black hair as it hung just above.

"Thank you, Father. I am most humbled to be in your presence once more."

"Rise, my child. I have missed you dearly. Come, embrace your mother," Sam said, holding her arms open.

"Of course, Mother," she said, rising from her knee and coming forth into her mother's arms. Sam held her tight, nuzzling her face in the soft whiteness of her daughter's hair, a sensation she missed for so long.

"It is good to have you home with us again, Danielle," Danny said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Father. It is good to be home. I have much to report."

"Please do."

Danielle nodded, turning to the East where Danny and Sam were facing previously.

"All of the major cities on the Eastern Coast of the country have fallen to our control. Including New York City, Miami and Washington D.C."

"Excellent. With the country's capital fallen, many of the resistances still in existence will start to lose power and confidence."

"Indeed. You have done well, daughter. We are most pleased and most proud," Sam said.

Danielle let a small smile grace her lips as she beamed with happiness at the love her parents were giving her for the completion of her task.

"Thank you, mother," she said before turning toward the South. "Grandmother and Grandfather's armies are currently battling and making their way toward the boarder of Mexico. The armies of both Aunt Jasmine and Uncle Tucker are heading North as we speak, but have been finding much more resistance then we originally thought." As she said this, a sneer came to her face, not only because of the people challenging her, but because she wanted nothing to interfere with the praise she was receiving from her parents. Their approval was the only thing that she cared about. "It seems that the ghost hunter Valerie has been busy and has quite a bit of followers gather, mostly former hunters and people who still believe that they can stop us. According to the report, they have started training everyone in the use of Ecto-Weaponry. I have taken extra precautions, and sent Skulker, Technus and Ember with a sizable army to back them up."

"Very well done. Lord Undergrowth will be most pleased," Danny said. The ground began to shake before a large stem emerged from the ground. The three Phantom royals kneeled as vines wrapped around the stem and a flash of light came, forming the plant ghost overlord, Undergrowth.

"Indeed I am. You have done well, child," Undergrowth said as he towered over Danielle.

"Thank you, Lord Undergrowth," Danielle said with head bowed.

"Once the armies put an end to the rest of the annoying pest, we shall move further South, making our way to the Amazon. With its power, there shall be no stopping me!"

"You're right," Sam said as the three stood. "That is why you shall meet your end here."

Undergrowth looked down to see as Sam tossed what looked to be an ordinary grenade at him. Angry at her sudden betrayal, Undergrowth caught the small device in his hand, and crushed it. He then turned back to the three who smirked at him.

"You dare to defy me, daughter!? I who gave you everything! Who made you what you are!"

"Oh, worry not," Danny said as his eyes turned a bright blue. "She isn't the only one. You forget, Undergrowth. I am the true ruler of the Ghost Zone. Truth be told, you were nothing more than an oversized, amusing pawn needed to achieve our goal."

"You're pathetic. Beyond it," Danielle said as her eyes too turned blue. "To think you were in control was nothing but a mere joke. I am loyal to no one but my Mother and Father, the true rulers of this world. Not some overgrown weed like you."

"And now that you have fulfilled your purpose, you have out lived your use," Sam said. Undergrowth growled at them, but before he could speak, he suddenly found himself growing weaker. A small burning sensation spread through his hand that had caught the small bomb thrown at him. Looking back at it, the pain seemed to grow and Undergrowth let out a shriek as his hand began to turn in ash right before his eyes.

"What is this!?" he roared, looking upon the group in anger. "What have you done to me!?"

"That was no ordinary device, Undergrowth. It is a specially designed containment that houses special nano bots, created to eat ecto-plants. I had them programmed them to eat and destroy you once and for all," Sam said. "Of course, there's the slight problem of you trying to regenerate your body while it happens."

"Which is why it is my duty to be sure that doesn't happen," Danny said as he took to the air.

"Mine as well," Danielle said, going intangible and falling through the floor.

Undergrowth felt himself grow even weaker, if that was even possible, as the familiar cold sensation of ghost ice rose through his roots and into the vines of his body. As he looked upon Danny with anger and despise, knowing he would never be able to get back at him for this, he growled with all the strength he had left and threw a punch toward him.

"This is where you leave and **never** return," Danny said as he hand glowed blue with power and fired a diamond shaped beam that embedded itself in Undergrowth's forehead. In a brilliant flash of light, Undergrowth's body was completely covered in ice as the nano bots continued to eat away at his body. Danny continued to smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. Not long after, Danielle re-emerged from underground and floated next to her father while Sam floated up to his other side.

"And now, my two beauties," Danny said, looking upon the two women he cared for the most in all his existence, "We take what's rightfully ours. This world."

Danielle smiled an evil smile as she looked upon the horizon. "Yes, Father."

"Anything for you, my king," Sam said as everything grew black and started to fade.

"Ah!" Sam screamed as she shot up in bed, a veil of sweat coating her face, hair and body. Hopping up in a flash, she took off and stopped in of the full length mirror, patting her face, her hair, every part of her body she could. Upon seeing that she was still in her pajama shorts and tank top, that her eyes were still violet and that her body wasn't glowing, Sam let out a sigh of relief and slid onto her knees.

'_Just a dream. It was all just a dream…'_

As she got to her feet, her eardrums were assaulted with the all too familiar sounds of her daughter's overly energetic singing and the bass of her stereo. Sam growled, shuffling over to the door, yanking it open and storming across the hall to Danielle's room. Sam instantly slammed the door open and glared at her daughter who was jumping on the bed and had yet to hear her angry mother's entrance.

"Danielle Lilith Fenton, turn that music down, NOW!" Sam yelled. Danielle, surprised by the sudden yelling that wasn't coming from her or the stereo, tripped mid-air, causing her to fall off the bed and land on her butt with a hard thud. Danielle sat up, rubbing her sore tailbone before looking up at a very pissed off Sam. Getting the message, she jumped up and quickly turned the power off on the stereo and facing her mother.

"Morning, Mom," she said with a nervous, toothy smile.

"Mind explaining to me why you're blasting music at 9:30 in the morning," Sam said, trying to keep herself as calm as possible. Just as Danielle was about to give her explanation, Danny phased through the floor in a battle stance.

"What's going on? Are you two alright?" he asked.

"We're fine Danny. But what I want to know is why she's blasting music that loud at this early hour," she said, gazing at Danielle before turning back to her boyfriend. "And why nobody has said anything about it."

"I'm sorry, Mom. I guess I was just excited about the picnic later. I've never been to one and I guess I got a little carried away with the music," Danielle said in embarrassment.

Sam sighed and clenched her hands into fist to remain calm, a jester that did not go unnoticed by Danny and Danielle who were trying to figure out why she was so angry. Sure, she was never a morning person, none of them really were, but she was never this mad in the morning.

"Look, I know you're excited, Danielle, but there is no need to be playing music that loud, ok? I'll let it slide this time, but if you do it again, you're gonna be grounded. Am I clear?" Danielle nodded her head in understanding. Sam turned back toward the door and headed out of the room and straight for the bathroom. At the sound of the closed door, Danielle turned toward Danny who was still looking at the door.

"Wow…she was really pissed about the music, huh?"

"No. I think it's something else. I think the music was just an outlet for whatever is really bothering her," he said as he looked back to the young girl.

"So what should we do now?"

"For now, let's not worry about it. When she's ready to tell us what's wrong, we'll handle it. In the meantime, keep the music down. That band sucks," he said with a smile as she phased back into the floor. Danielle rolled her eyes and exited her room, deciding to head for the kitchen to help make the food for the picnic.

The rest of the morning was uneventful for the most part. Other than a few outburst at Danny for picking at the food being made, Tucker for not helping with anything because he was on his PDA, and getting into an argument with Jazz over the proper way to prepare a salad, everything was pretty normal.

"Dude, seriously, what is Sam's problem today?" Tucker said as he and Danny helped Jack unpack the RV. "She's been practically biting everyone's head's off all day, and now," he paused to look over at her as she helped Danielle set up some blankets near a tree, a huge smile on her face. "Now she looks happier than anybody I've ever known!"

"I know, Tuck. It's really weird, but I didn't think it was a good idea to question her about it," Danny said as they placed more of the meat by the grill Jack was setting up. "I mean, have you seen the way she can just snap? No thanks."

"Boys, if there is one thing I've learned about women, it's never argue with them and always be prepared for them to snap like an angry wildcat. Even over the little things," Jack said while trying to strike a match. "Even over accidently using her hair dryer to make a laser incase a ghost attacked while in the bathroom. A laser that was supposed to make it work better and may have accidently burned off some of her hair."

"Um, yeah. Thanks, Dad," Danny said. Noticing his father having trouble with the match, he quickly shot a ghost ray from his finger, lighting the coals. Jack smiled and patted him on the back.

"Thanks, son. Now, let's get this picnic going!"

As the day commenced, the Fenton family and their friend relished in delight of being together on such a nice sunny day, a day that was perfect for any outdoor activity.

"Oh, oh, Sam, Danny. You two get together," Jazz instructed with her camera in hand. The two teens moved next to each other, their hands interlacing in the middle as they sat in the shade of the tree. Jazz took a quick picture and instructed them to stay in that spot for a moment.

"Why? We've already taken the picture," Danny said, but remained still.

"Bonzai!"

Both turned to see Danielle phase threw the tree in her human form. As she became tangible again, she landed on top of the two, nearly knocking them over and using their shoulders to lift herself up as she laughed. The added weight, as small as she was, brought the three together, their faces pressed together with Sam's on Danielle's right and Danny's on her left. Danny and San couldn't help the giant smiles that graced their lips with laughter at their daughter. Jazz was quick on the camera as she captured the moment and almost cried at how perfect it was.

"Your first family photo!" she squealed.

"Keep the camera handy, sis," Danny said, giving Sam a mischievous look to which she nodded her head in understanding. In a flash, both kissed Danielle on each cheek, making the girl laugh even harder. There was another flash as Jazz had caught the sweet moment with everyone else looked on with smiles. The next few minutes were spent taking pictures and sharing laughs to be remembered for the rest of their lives.

Danny, still holding Sam's hand, turned to her and seemed mesmerized by the glow of her beauty that was given by the sun.

"So, feeling better then you were this morning?" Danny asked as he turned to see Danielle who was flying around in her ghost form and having a water balloon fight with Tucker, though it was obviously very one sided.

"Yeah. Sorry about all that. I don't know why, but I just feel so…good right now. I mean, after that dream I had last night, I guess I was just on edge, you know?"

Danny nodded, but was concerned about what dream she had that could have had her so freaked out.

"What was the dream about?" Sam was about to reassure him it was nothing, but stopped as Danny's ghost sense went off, a blue puff of smoke rising from his mouth. "Of course," he mumbled as they both jumped to their feet. "Get to the RV and grab a thermos. I'll-"

The sudden rumbling of the ground stopped Danny as the Earth began to split in the middle of the park. The sky suddenly turned green as two giant ghost bees emerged from the ground.

"You know, I've never really been big on bugs," Sam said in slight disgust. "Especially not after the last Spectra incident we had."

"What about spiders?"

"They're arachnids. That's completely different."

"Well either way, they're about to get squished. I'm going ghost!" he yelled as he ran toward the bugs who were already engaged in combat with Danielle.

As Sam began her way toward the weaponized RV, a sudden sensation of weird energy ran threw her veins. Her breath caught in her throat for a second, causing her to gasp. As she opened her mouth, a sweet, flowery aroma came from her mouth in a small green mist.

"What the hell was that?" she said to herself.

"Tucker, watch out!" Sam turned her head to where the others were standing only to see Tucker and the rest of the Fenton's get hit by what looked like green honey that was shot from one of the bees mouths. The four victims struggled to get free from the sticky substance.

"Please tell me this isn't snot!" Tucker as he struggled.

"Hang on guys," Sam said as she ran toward them. Just when she was a few feet away, the ground began to shake again. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned toward Danny and Danielle who had stopped fighting the bees and were looking around for whatever else was to come.

"Oh great. What now?" Danielle asked in annoyance. A loud buzzing sound came as a bee the size of a house and twice the size of the other two with a large thorax and stinger came exploding from the ground with a loud roar and a golden crown resting on its head. "What the hell is that!?" She shrieked.

"I think it's the queen bee," Danny said as it buzzed in front of them.

Sam, who was awestruck by the massive size of the bee, soon felt familiar sensation in her throat as the green mist left her mouth again and the scent of flowers permeated the air around her once more. All three bees turned away from the two phantoms and focused on the sweet, alluring smell coming from the Goth girl. Danny, noticing their gaze, turned to Sam.

"Sam, run! Get outta here!" he yelled as he and Danielle flew in front of her. "We'll take care of these things. You get out of here."

"Right," she said, turning around and heading the opposite direction.

Danny turned to the queen and fired a large ghost ray at her while Danielle threw her ghost disk at the other two. Although it seemed to have an effect on them, it only increased their anger at the two pests. The queen screeched, which instantly got both Danny and Danielle's attention, leaving them open to an attack from the workers. Both shot a blog of green at the two Phantoms, hitting them and sticking them together on the ground like the others.

"I can't get free," Danielle said as they struggled to get back up. A shadow cast over them as the queen moved in on them, preparing for the final strike. Danielle screamed as the bog moved closer to her. "Okay, its official. I hate snakes and bugs!"

The sound of her daughter's scream made Sam stop dead in place. Her eyes grew wide in fear of the giant bug hovering over her boyfriend and only child.

"Danny! Danielle!" she yelled, preparing to run to their aid until a sudden pain shot up threw her abdomen, bringing her to her knees. Wrapping her arms around herself, Sam shut her eyes tight as the pain pulsed threw her, causing her heartbeat to speed up rapidly. "What's happening to me!" she mumbled before an ear piercing shriek exploded from her mouth and large puffs of green smoke poured out.

"Sam!" Danny yelled, forgetting about the giant bug that still loomed over him.

"Mommy!" Danielle yelled in fear for her mother.

As her head lifted slightly to see her loved ones, a sudden thought ran through her mind that was very clear, even in the mist of all the pain racking her very body to the core. She couldn't let this stop her. She had to help them. She had to protect them.

"I will protect them," she grumbled as she tried to stand. Before she could even get to her feet, her body fell limp onto her knees, and everything around her grew quiet. Her eyes closed as she suddenly lost all feeling in her, and she could feel the slowing, deadly quite numb of her heart stopping. With one final beat, her body stopped all function and Sam fell forward onto the ground, limp and lifeless. Danny and Danielle yelled as loud as they could, screaming with everything that they could to try to get her to respond or to get free to get to her, but with no success. Danielle could feel the eyes as they poured down her face, an unimaginable pain coursing through her while Danny could feel nothing be the feeling of his heart as it seemed to constrict with pain at the loss of his love.

Then, in a sudden flash of green light that could only be described as an explosion of raw energy, everything seemed to go into slow motion. As the light faded, they heard the unmistakable cry of Sam whose eyes and body were now glowing a vibrant leaf green as she slowly ascended off the ground. A dark green ring appeared around her waist, separating in two. In a stunning display of beauty, the rings travelled over her body, replacing her normal black clothing with a dress that stopped at her thighs with a black spiked strap on left one as well as a matching chocker and a pair of gloves that matched the dress. Her hair, once straight and orderly, was now wild and free as her ponytail let it flow freely. Her once bulky combat boots were now gone, leaving her feet bare. Her skin was now paler as a green aura omitted from her and large vines sprouted from her back. The biggest difference, however, was her face. Her lips, once housing purple lipstick, were now covered in a forest green that contrasted with her pale skin, and truly brought out the color in her eyes which were no longer violet, but a shining green color.

As the light faded, Sam gasped, bringing life back into her body, she slowly land on the ground, falling to her knees.

"Sam! Sam, please, speak to me!" Danny yelled to her.

Slowly, her head rose, Sam gazed at her hands and body in shock, scanning herself in disbelief that she was somehow alive after suffering what could only be considered a heart attack. One of the vines began to move as it slowly wrapped around her in a jester that looked strangely like a hug, causing her to shriek before looking at Danny with a look of horror on her face.

"Danny….what's happened to me!?"


	16. Chapter 16: Phantom Plant Revelation

Chapter 16: Phantom Plant Revelation

"Danny…what's happen to me!?" Sam yelled in panic as she looked over her gloved hands and new clothes, her whole body a glow with Ghostly energy. "Why-wha-I-I'm glowing…" she looked across the field to Danny who was still stuck to the ground. "Why am I glowing!?"

"Sam, calm down!" Danny said as he took in the panic in her eyes. "I know this is weird and probably really freaky, but-"

"Dad, I think we should focus on the _other_ problem at hand!" Danielle screamed as the giant Queen bee still loomed over them. Danny turned back to the bee as she hovered over them, and watched as one of the workers, who was floating behind the Queen, turned toward Sam.

"No," Danny whispered before the anger caused his voice to rise in anger. "NO! Sam, run!"

Sam screamed in fear as she scurried across the ground backwards. She stopped as she felt the rough bark of a tree against her back, and began to panic as the bee continued to head straight for her.

"No! GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed as she threw her hands out in a poor attempt to protect herself. Her body shook with more fear then Sam could ever remember having in her entire life, and as the tears flowed freely down her face, she prayed that if anything came out of this, it was that everyone, Danny, Danielle, Tucker, the Fentons, her grandma and even her Parents, would stay safe after she was gone.

As the bee closed in on her, drawn in by her sweet flowery scent, its jaws opened wide, preparing to feast on her like a delicious treat, but stopped dead in places, its wings slowly losing their momentum as the buzzing came to a stop.

Sam opened her eyes which had closed early on in her panic attack, and looked over her body to see that she was still alive and was not oozing ectoplasm as was custom of ghost when injured. As her gaze turned up, her mouth flew open as a scream of surprise and horror escaped at the site before her. There, only a few feet in front of her, sat a giant, glowing Venus fly trap. Its head was a deep purple color, much like the one Sam used to have before it was accidently frozen to death by Danny when he first gained his ice abilities. But the thing that differentiated it from her cute little house plant was the fact it had large sharp teeth that it was currently using to eat the head of the giant Ghostly bee.

Danny and Danielle turned toward all the noise as they too watched in a stunned stupor. The plant continued to slowly pull the bee, who had stopped struggling the instant the plants powerful jaws clamped down on its head like a vice grip, into its mouth. Once the bee's body was fully consumed, the plant relaxed its mouth muscles, and a loud gulp echoed throughout the park as a large lump slid down its throat and into the ground where the remainder of the plants body lay before the plant receded into the ground which repaired itself in an instant. Sam stared at the spot, unable to move or take her eyes from it, and shuddered as a sudden surge of energy entered her body, causing her body and eyes to glow green for a moment before returning to normal.

"Was Mom just saved by a giant fly trap?" Danielle asked as she finally broke out the foggy cloud of shock that had fallen over her mind.

Before Danny could answer, the Queen above them let out a roar of anger and sorrow at the loss of one of her children, and moved in to attack Danny and Danielle.

"No!" Sam yelled as she threw her hand out toward them. She gasped as her hand began to glow green once again, causing her to pull it back in recoil as if she had just been struck. As the Queen closed in on them, delighted in the sound of Danielle's terrified screams, a large vine sprang up from the ground in front of her, blocking her from Danny and Danielle. In an instant, more vines started to spring up next to the first, creating a wall in front of her. The remaining worker, who had remained in the distance from the fight, raced back to assist the Queen, his wings buzzing as fast as they could. Just as he was getting close to her, he let out an ear piercing shriek of pain as a vine sprouted from the ground in a flash and impaled it, spraying its green blood over the area. As ectoplasm covered various parts of the ground, Danielle groaned in both disgust and frustration as some of it splattered over her and Danny.

"Oh God! This is so gross!" she screamed to the sky. "I seriously hate bugs!"

Sam stared on in horror as the bee slowly began to shrivel and evaporate into more ectoplasm, and the plant seemed to absorb its body into its own until there was nothing left. Sam felt the same surge of energy she had just felt moments before, and shivered as her body reacted to it. The Queen, once again, roared in horror as she turned around and flew off into the sky in a retreat. As Sam watched her fly away, she felt her blood, or ectoplasm now, run fast, and the feeling return to her face and a fresh pool of tears started to come.

She couldn't help the feeling as her fear come out, expressing itself in the tears that ran down her face, but it wasn't just the fear that she had almost been eaten. No, it wasn't the fact that she had watched her loved ones almost die before her eyes. It was the fact that she was dead. But not only that, she was a monster. A freaky, plant controlling monster that had just killed two ghosts without even trying to. She was more dangerous than probably anything that Danny had ever faced, which scared her more than almost being lunch for a couple of bees.

Danny, who was about to try freezing the gooey substance that stuck them to the ground, was surprised when it disappear in a flash, freeing them. As he stood, he wiped the blood from his face and costume, trying not to be too disgusted, and turned to Danielle who was on her feet and freaking out as she wiped frantically at the green blood that was stuck on her as well. Danny sighed in relief before he kneeled down and pulled Danielle into a hug, squeezing her tight. Danielle, though surprised at first, calmed down slightly, and hugged him back, not only feeling safe in his embrace, but also trying to distract herself from the goo stuck to her costume. As Sam's tears started to lessen, she looked over at the others, a bit of relief running through her at seeing that they were unharmed, but couldn't help the ache she felt at watching Danny and Danielle embrace each other. Her hand slowly rose toward them, but as she prepared to call out to them, her voice got caught in her throat at the site her of glowing gloved hand and she quickly pulled it back against her chest as more tears began to flow.

As Danny stood back to his full height, he turned toward the tree and his eyes grew wide at the site of Sam sitting against it, crying.

"Sam!" he said, flying over to her and kneeling in front of her. "Are you alright?" he grabbed her face to tilt her head up so she was looking at him and wiped away some of her tears from her face.

"Danny…I…what's happened to me?" She asked as tears continued to run down her face. "I…I'm dead. I'm dead, aren't I? I'm a ghost."

"Shhh...It's gonna be alright, Sammy," he said, using her nickname to try to calm her. "Everything's gonna-"

"No it not! I'm dead, Danny! Dead! I'm not even sixteen, and I'm dead!" she screamed before burying her face in her hands.

"Sam, please. I promise you, it's going to be ok. Even if you are dead, it doesn't matter to me, or Danielle, or Tucker or anyone else."

"How can you even say that? How can you even look at me?" she asked quietly. "I'm a monster, Danny. I summoned a giant plant that ate that bee. Who knows what else could have happened? What if that were you? Or worse, what if that were Danielle?" Sam's body shook as she tried to remove the horrible image of her daughter being eaten by the plants just as the girl in question landed next to her and pulled her into a hug.

"Mom! I'm so glad you're ok," she said.

"But I'm not ok. I could have hurt you guys too."

"But you didn't. You did it in self defense, and if you hadn't we all would have been eaten by those bugs," Danielle said as she tried to get Sam to look at her. "Mom, you're not a monster. Just because you're a ghost now, doesn't mean-"

"Freeze, ghost!" Jack yelled appearing out of nowhere and brandishing an ecto-gun that he had aimed directly at Sam. "I'm giving you till the count of three to get out of Sam or else! One!"

"Mr. Fenton, wait!" Sam yelled as she held her hands up in defense.

"Two!"

"Grandpa, stop!" Danielle cried in fear.

"Three!"

"Dad, NO!" Danny yelled. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Jack's finger pulled back, squeezing the trigger of the gun. Danny dove toward his father and pushed him backwards, but it was too late as the shot was already on its way, heading straight for Sam, who shut her eyes, waiting for the impact that would surely cause her pain beyond belief.

A loud explosion made Sam flinch, but also confused her as she felt no pain.

'_Maybe ghost can't feel pain_.' She thought bitterly, but quickly shook that thought away as she remembered the numerous times that they had gone ghost fighting and the many yelps of pain that they caused and the ones she had heard from Danny on occasion. Not to mention the cries of pain she heard from the ghostly insect not even a full five minutes ago. Slowly, she pealed one eye open, then the other, and began to examine herself for any injuries, but was more shocked to see that she was now translucent.

"Ah!" she gasped as she looked at her hand, or more accurately, through it. "I-I'm intangible?" she questioned. Looking up, Sam saw that she was no longer surrounded by her family, but staring at the trunk of the tree she had phased through.

"Mom!" Danielle called out, looking around the tree, but finding no one in site. Panic started to climb into her as she turned back to the patriarchal figures behind her.

"Sam?" Danny called as the worry grabbed upon him as well before being replaced by anger as he rounded on his father. "What did you do!?"

"What's wrong with you, Dad?" Jazz said as she, Maddie and Tucker ran up to them.

"Jack, how could you shoot at Sam?" Maddie yelled at him as she put her hands on her hips.

"Well I'm sorry, but I didn't want to take any chances!" Jack said as he stood up.

Danny growled as he ran a hand through his white hair in frustration.

"I don't have time for this. I need to go find Sam, and fast," he said.

"I'm coming too, Dad," Danielle said, but couldn't help cringing at the feeling of the sticky ectoplasm on her gloves. "But maybe we should go home and change first."

Danny sighed, but nodded her head. Taking one last glance over his shoulder, he quickly took to the air with Danielle right behind him as the others started packing up the RV.

As Sam watched all this happen, she turned her head away and wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to keep anymore tears from falling and wishing she could just get away from it all. As if on instinct, her body began to slowly lift off the ground, ascending her a few feet off the ground. As a sense of weightlessness took over her, Sam began to feel truly hopeless about her life being normal.

'_That' it. It's all over. That stupid nightmare has come true. I can't ever go to college. I'll never even graduate high school. I won't get to spend the rest of my life with Danny. I won't get to watch Danielle grow up. I won't be able to have any more kids. All because I'm a monster. An undead monster. At least Danny and Danielle can turn back to human. It's probably better if I just leave. Who knows how long I have before I start wanting to destroy everything.' _

As her body became solid once more, she turned away from them and flew off, finding it much easier to control then the last time she had been flying on her own at the hospital during the Spectra incident where she was more like a balloon.

Back at the Fenton home, another battle was going on, only this time between a young girl and her slightly younger niece.

"I said no!" Danielle yelled as she continued to pout and cross her arms. "I am not ghost fighting in a stupid sundress! I don't even like them!"

Jazz sighed as she held up the black dress with the Phantom's symbol on it.

"Look, I know it's not your first choice, but it's only temporary until I can wash yours and Danny's jumpsuits."

"No! I hate dress, and you know that."

"So what you're telling me is you'd rather go outside looking for your mother, which could take hours, in your training bra and panties? Because that's your only other option right now, Danielle," Jazz said as she raised an eyebrow and pointed to the young girl who was current standing her underwear and still in her ghost form.

Danielle felt her face start to heat up as she knew that what Jazz had said was true. However, that didn't mean she had to concede.

"I don't understand how I don't have any other clothes that have my symbol on it other than this dress! Where did you even get that?"

"Your mom made it. She knew you don't like them, but she said it was better that you had it and don't need it than need it and don't have it."

Danielle felt bad now that she knew the origin of the dress. Her mom did always seem to know what was best, and the dress wasn't really that bad to be honest. Danielle let out a huge sigh of defeat.

"Fine. Give me the dress," she said, holding her hands out. Jazz smiled in victory as she handed it to her as well as a pair of shorts to wear so she wouldn't have to worry about anyone looking up her skirt while flying.

Once she was fully dressed, she exited her room to find Danny standing in the hallway, looking at himself in a mirror. He too was no longer in his jumpsuit, and was now outfitted with a black long sleeve dress shirt and black slacks. Around his waist was a white belt that matched his white shoes. Danielle couldn't help noticing the small white Phantom symbol that adorned the front pocket of the shirt, resting like a badge or a family crest.

"Jeez. A little over dressed for a search mission, aren't ya?" Danielle said as she slipped into a pair of white flats.

"Trust me, I'm no happier about it then you are," he said, buttoning his sleeve with his gloveless hand. "But we don't have time to be picky. We gotta find Sam, ASAP."

"Yeah, well when we do, she and I are going to have a long talk about the wardrobe for our ghost forms. Dresses are a definite no," she said as she pulled a hand through he still damp hair from her shower. It was rare for Danielle to go out with her hair down, but seeing as they were short on time and it was still damp, she figured she could go without her scrunchy this time.

Danny smiled and turned himself intangible before flying through the roof with Danielle close behind him.

"Well if it's any consolation, you look beautiful."

Danielle rolled her eyes, but smiled a bit at the compliment.

"Thanks, Dad. So how do you want to do this?"

"I'll start out on the West side of the city, you start on the East and we'll just make a circle around here."

"How do we know she didn't go into the Ghost Zone?" Danielle asked in worry.

"Because as much as Sam thinks she's a monster, I doubt that she would fly into the Ghost Zone right after all this happened. She'd probably wanna get away and try to think things through. Not to mention the only portals around here are ours and Vlad's, and his is in the government's custody."

Danielle nodded her head and took off in the opposite direction.

Sam floated invisibly in place, slowly moving up and down as she looked over the city she once called her home. She was amazed that she had even been able to do it, though she doubted she would be for long. Looking over to her left, Sam could see that the Sun had lowered some, signaling that it was getting late into the afternoon, but she let out a sigh of relief. Having spent so much time with Danny, she knew that whenever he did patrol, even when looking for someone, he kept a certain routine, which was always start from the West because it was closest to his home, and make a full circle around the city. Lucky for her, she was in the South end of the city, giving her plenty of time to think without him interfering. Unfortunately, she had miscalculated.

"Mom? Mom?"

Sam turned around, her wild hair whipping around as she turned to see Danielle flying at a slow pace, scanning the area for anything that would lead to Sam. As much as Sam wanted to fly away and prevent herself from making contact with her daughter, she couldn't resist the little lost voice that seemed to linger in Danielle's tone. With a sigh, she began to visualize herself being out in the open, almost as if she were in a spotlight, for all to see, and couldn't help the small smile that came to her lips.

"Danielle," Sam called, grabbing her daughter's attention. Danielle's head whipped around so fast, Sam was unsure if Danielle had even seen her. But that thought was soon lost as she saw the joy that came to Danielle's face when her mother was in her view once again.

"Mommy!" She cried out like a small child as she flew full speed into Sam's open arms. Danielle nuzzled her face into Sam's neck as her arms wrapped around her neck while Sam slowly stroked her long white hair.

"Hi, sweetie."

"I'm so glad I found you! Now we can call Dad, and-"

"No," Sam said, pulling away and looking Danielle in the eye. "You cannot tell your father you found me."

"What?" Danielle asked in shock. "But, why not?"

Sam opened her mouth, but had to fight back the tears that were coming to her eyes at the sad expression on her Danielle's face. Things only got harder as Danielle looked as if she too was going to cry. Sam lifted her hand to Danielle's face and moved some hair from her face, taking in a shaky breath before continuing.

"Mommy has to go away, Danielle. It's too dangerous for me to stay with you and Daddy. I could hurt you, and I don't want that to happen."

"No! NO! You can't go!" she yelled as her tears spilled over.

"Danielle, it's for the best. I'm sorry, and I don't want to do this, but I have to."

"No!" she said, pulling out a Fenton Phone. "I'm calling Dad, and he's gonna come and get you and we-"

"Danielle!" Sam yelled, grabbing her wrist and easily wrestling the small device from her distraught daughter. "I need you to be a big girl, and be strong. I know it hurts, but it's for the best. What's the number one rule for heroes?"

"Always do what's best for others…" she said, mumbling the end because she knew where she was going.

"Before doing what's best for yourself," Sam finished for her. She floated over to Danielle, holding her shoulders and wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry. But never forget that I love you and that you are a smart and beautiful young lady. Ok?"

Danielle nodded her head, and hugged Sam again, but was surprised as she felt the familiar cold sensation as her ghost sense went off. Sam gasped too as a green wisp came from her mouth at the same moment. Both turned around as a loud buzzing noise filled the air. In an instant, a swarm of ghost bees flew from an open portal and at the front was none other than the crown wearing Queen herself. Both Danielle and Sam were so distracted by the site of the army of bees that they almost didn't hear the sound of the Fenton Phone as it crackled in Sam's palm.

"Danielle, can you hear me?" came Danny's voice, though the phone made it sound static like.

Danielle quickly took the device back from Sam and adjusted it in her ear.

"I'm here, Dad. Are you seeing this?"

"Uh yeah, it's kinda hard to miss."

"What are we gonna do?" she asked as she looked on in worry.

"We're just gonna have to fight them off as best as we can."

"But we couldn't even take out three of them in the park. How are we gonna take out a whole army?"

"I don't know, but we have to try. Meet me back by the house and we'll come up with a plan."

"Ok. I'll-" but Danielle stopped as she looked upon her mother and, even though she wanted to so badly, couldn't bring herself to tell him she had found her. "I'll meet you over then as soon as I can." After hanging up, she started toward her destination but stopped to look at Sam one last time. "Mom…whatever you….I…I just want you to know that…I love you too."

Sam watched as Danielle flew away, a ball of guilt building up in her stomach.

As Danielle landed on top of the Ops Center, she found Danny, firing ice beams at the various bugs. Gathering her own power, she began throwing disk at the annoying buzzing creatures, only hitting a few that were soon replaced by others.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked as she continued to throw blast after blast.

"Well, I hadn't really come up with one other than this," he said before shooting a beam from his eyes and hitting another bug. "So, I'm open to suggestions."

"I don't think we're gonna be able to keep this up for much longer," she said as more bees started to move in on them. All hope seemed lost for the two Phantoms until the bees, for some reason, stopped moving in on them. Like a synchronized swimming team, all of the bees turned around in the same direction, completely ignoring them. Danielle looked up at Danny for conformation on what just happened, but he was just as confused as she was. Then, as a passing wind blew her hair back, she caught the light, airy smell of fresh flowers on a spring morning, and her face instantly lit up with happiness. "Mom!"

"Mom?" Danny asked confused as he began to look around for Sam, and soon caught the smell too. "Sam!"

The bees soon started to move toward where the smell was coming from, causing Danny and Danielle to focus on a part of forest just outside the city limits. As both looked on, their eyes grew wide as they saw what looked to be the world's biggest rose, completely adorned with sharp thorns, but instead of it being red, it was a deep, violet purple. A purple they knew all too well. Without any hesitation, the two flew toward it, keeping their distance from the bees, and watched as they started to fly around it like sharks circling their prey.

The rose lifted higher into the sky and as the petals opened, Danny was awestruck at the site of Sam as she gracefully floated out of the flower. Her body radiated with green energy that seemed to feed off of the flower below her as it sprouted from the ground and made her wild jungle hair move about freely. Sam glared up at the bees before lifting her hands.

"I'm only going to say this once: leave my family and my home alone!" she shouted as hundreds of long vines shot out from the stem of the rose, each grabbing a bug and pulling them toward the flower. The instant they made contact, the bees began to dissolve and melt into ectoplasm that was quickly absorbed by the rose, making it glow even more. One by one, the bees met their death until there was only one left: the Queen bee.

Sam turned her gaze up to the Queen who was hovering high above her and the flower. The Queen roared and dove straight at Sam, stinger pointed down at her. Sam closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could to gather the energy in her hands which flowed and started to form. When she opened her eyes, she was amazed to find a deep green whip with thorns in her hand, though she had little time to dwell on this. Making a mad dash forward, she cracked the whip as hard as she could, and watched as the thorns dug into the stinger of the bees, making her scream in pain.

"Alright you overgrown honey sucker," Sam said as she struggled to keep her grip. "This is the LAST time I'm dealing with you!" Using all the newly acquired strength she had, Sam pulled the captured bee with her and dove head first into the flower. As she made contact, Sam could feel the power flowing in every part of her body, and with a hard tug, pulled the Queen into the bud of the rose. In a flash of green light, both the flower and the bee disappeared, and in their place was Sam, breathing hard as her eyes closed and fatigue caught up with her and causing her to fall from the sky.

"Sam!" Danny yelled as he put all his speed into falling and catching her. Just when it didn't look like he'd make it in time, Danny found himself under her, and scooping her up, bridal style. Danny landed on the ground, holding on to her tight as Danielle landed next to him.

"Is she ok?" Danielle asked.

Sam began to stir and opened her eyes, looking at Danny. As her green eyes gazed into his, she couldn't help smiling.

"Wow. You look good when you dress up," said before she completely blacked out.

Sam awoke with a start as the Sun light shined upon her from her bed that she and Danny shared. Holding a hand to her head, Sam groaned, trying to sit up but was stopped by a strong hand. Turning to her left, she was met with the familiar face of Danny, who was sitting in a chair.

"Danny?"

"Hey there, sleeping beauty," he said with a smile. "How you feeling?"

"Like my head is killing me. But, it seems to be fading pretty fast."

"That's no surprise. It figures the sun would rejuvenate you even in your human form."

"Wait, human form?" Sam said, fully sitting up. Danny smiled and handed her a small mirror that rested on the night stand. As Sam took it, hands shaking, she could feel the nervousness as it pumped through her. Taking a deep breath, she held the mirror up to her face and almost cried when she found that she was no longer glowing, that her hair was back to being in its high ponytail and that her eyes and lips were once again their normal purple. "I'm me again!"

"Yeah, you are. But, Sam," Danny hesitated. "There's…something I should tell you."

"What is it, Danny?" She asked in worry.

"Well…you're…half ghost, now."

"What? But, how can that be?"

"Well, you remember when I told you about the undergrowth incident?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, my guess is that even after I saved you guys, some of his ghostly energy remained inside of you, but was dormant. As you hung around me more and were exposed to more and more ectoplasm, it slowly started to build, but never had a 'shock'" he said using air quote, "that had activated it."

"What do you mean by shock?"

"What he means is that you didn't have anything traumatic enough to have caused the sensation that would be similar to death," Danielle said as she walked in and closed the door behind her before running up to and jumping onto the bed, hugging Sam who hugged her back.

"So you mean like when Danny first got his powers and he was electrocuted?"

"Yep," Danny said. "I was talking to my Mom, and the way she figures it, when you saw Danielle in trouble, your maternal instincts kicked in because the worse thing a parent can experience is the loss of a child, and just the thought had given you a heart attack."

"So that means you literally scared me to death, you little trouble maker," she said as she squeezed Danielle even harder. "So what does that mean for me now?"

"Well, as far as we know, you have the power. What we don't know is if you can use it whenever you want. We have to see so give it a try."

"Ok," Sam said as she let go of Danielle and stood up. "How do I do this, exactly?"

"The same way you did everything else. You just have to will yourself by thinking about it. Remember how it feels."

Sam nodded her head and closed her eyes as she searched for the strange sense of power, of the feeling that she had felt before. As she was starting to lose hope, there, in the middle of her chest, was the feeling, and in the center of the power was her love for Danny and Danielle. She smiled as she opened her eyes that flashed green and couldn't help grinning at them as she spoke the words:

"Phantom Fauna!" and as her voice echoed, her body flashed as a green ring appeared around her waist and travelled over her body, leaving her in the same green dress as before, but now her legs were covered in forest green leggings, her feet in dark green shoes made of leaves and her hair, flowed freely around her shoulders.

"Wow! Mom, you look great!" Danielle said.

"Great? She's beautiful," Danny said.

"Thanks guys," she smiled as she looked herself over.

"So, are you gonna take the last name Phantom too?" Danny joked.

"No way. I'm actually original."

"Hey!" Danielle cried in annoyance.

"I just kidding, Danielle."

"So what do we call you?" Danny asked.

"Flora. Sam Flora."

"Sam Flora. I like it. It has a nice ring to it."

"Speaking of liking things, we need to have a talk about the sundress I had to wear," Danielle said in a sassy tone as she crossed her arms. Both Danny and Sam laughed as she transformed back to normal and the small family of three sat on the bed. As the sun continued to pour onto her, Sam smiled knowing that she was no longer a danger or a hindrance to her family, but that it was her love for them that had opened up her power to be able to protect them, and so long as she had this power, she would not fail them.


	17. Chapter 17: Care to Dance?

**First, let me start by saying how sorry I am. I would have had this chapter up sooner, but I've been having computer problems the last couple of weeks. But that's all fixed and now we have a new chapter. Also, I'd like to ask all of you to please check out my other story, **_**War on Morality**_**, as not a lot of people have, but I can promise if you like this story or my writing in general, you will like that one. Now, on to the chapter!**

Chapter 17: Care to Dance?

"No," Danny said as he charged a ghost ray in his hand. Taking careful aim, he pulled his arm back before launching it at his target who dodged it at the last second.

"Why not?!" Danielle yelled in frustration, hands glowing as she too fired her energy.

"Because there is no way I'm letting that happen," he replied just before having to dodge a large vine that nearly crushed him.

"But Dad-"

"The answer is no, Danielle. End of discussion."

"Da-danny," Sam grunted as she struggled to use the vines that sprouted from her back as a shield from the blast coming at her, a bit of pain coming from the hit.

"Look, Danielle, this is neither the time nor the place to be discussing this. We're supposed to be helping your mom learn to control her powers," he said before turning back to Sam. "It might be better to block attacks if you can create a shield from the vines."

"Easier said than done," she grumbled. Closing her eyes, she tried to feel the energy and push it through her vines like she did with her other limbs. As she started to feel it, she pointed the tips toward each other, creating a small ball as the energy built up. As the vines started to pull apart slowly, the ball began to flatten out, creating a barrier. Sam smiled and began to gloat.

"Oh yeah! How you like me now!?"

Danny smiled before creating a baseball sized ball of energy.

"That's great, Sam. Now let's see if it's durable." And with another pull back, Danny threw it as hard as he could, sending it whizzing at her at incredible speed. Sam stood ready for the impact, but still felt a bit nervous. As the two made contact, Sam's barrier took the full impact of the blast, but cracked and shattered like a broken car windshield after an accident. "Well, it's somewhat durable, but we're gonna have to work on that and the time it takes to make it. In a real battle, that would have been way to slow."

"I know, but give me a break, I know it's all about focus, but doing that is hard enough when you're still new to this," she said as she landed on the ground. The instant she came into contact with it, she could feel the grass under her replenishing her strength.

"Don't worry, Mom. You'll get it," Danielle said as she landed and changed back to normal.

"Thanks, Ellie," she said as she too changed back. "But I've got a long way to go, and unless I get more battle experience, there's no way my powers are going to get anywhere near close to what they were when I took out those Ghost bugs."

"Speaking of going places-"

"No, Danielle Lilith Fenton, you cannot," Danny said as he walked over to the girls in his human form.

"But why not!? Why is this such a big deal?"

"Maybe it would be ok, Danny. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" Sam asked.

"I am not letting Youngblood take my daughter to her school dance. I don't even think she needs a date, but if she's gotta take one, she should just pick a kid from school, not a bratty ghost kid who would do nothing but cause trouble," he said as he crossed his arms.

"Well, maybe if she kept him on a leash. Like a really short one," Sam smirked. "But if she's there, how much trouble could he cause?"

"Plenty. A ghost kid in a school gymnasium filled with kids. Not to mention the fact the adults can only see him if he lets them. And let's not forget the time the two of them snuck out and he tried to get the kids in town to revolt against their parents and join his pirate crew."

"I told you I didn't know he was gonna do that," Danielle said as her cheeks glowed pink in embarrassment.

"Regardless, it's not happening. Rule #1, Ellie. No fraternizing with the enemy."

"But he's not my enemy. Just yours. And can't you just trust me on this one?"

"I do trust you. It's him I don't trust."

"Danny, just let her go with him. If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility for this one, okay?" she asked as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Stop worrying so much."

Danny sighed as Danielle held her breath in anticipation.

"Alright. If Ember says it's ok, then fine. He can go," Danny said. In a flash, Danielle had thrown her arms around him and was repeated saying "Thank you, Daddy!" before she ran into the house through the back door. Danny turned to Sam who was grinning at him like the Cheshire cat. "You know you let her get her way too often, right? Hence why we have a ghost dog as a pet."

Said dog, whom the two teenagers had run into before and had named Cujo, suddenly popped into existence from nowhere, and took off barking as he ran after his youngest master while she explained to everyone how excited she was about the dance. Sam rolled her eyes at him before replying.

"Okay, so it wasn't exactly what we had in mind when she asked if she could keep the dog that followed her home, but you can't complain because you like him just as much as she does. Not to mention how loyal and loving he is, and he does make a great guard dog."

"Just because he's a great dog doesn't make up for the fact that I'm the one who's always cleaning up invisible dog poop," he said to which Sam laughed and made her way inside with him.

An hour later, the three halfas were flying through the Ghost Zone. Danielle was still giddy at the thought of going to her first school dance, even if she had to wear a dress. Sam was smiling and keeping up light conversation, mostly to show Danielle that she was listening. Danny, however, paid little attention to the two girls talking as he scanned over the map in an attempt to navigate the vast green universe.

"Ok. Ember's lair should be just up ahead," he said, rolling the map up an putting it away.

"That reminds me. How come we don't have lairs?" Danielle asked.

"I don't know. I asked Clockwork about it, seeing as he seems to know everything, but he just smirked at me and said 'In good time, Daniel', all cryptic like."

Danielle started to ponder this, but soon forgot at the site of the large purple door wuth a golden star on it. In the center of the star was the name "Ember McLain" and under the star there appeared a pirate mark with the name "Youngblood" under it.

"Wait, ghost have to share lairs?" Danielle asked.

"Only if they are related or if they choose to combine them," Sam said as they came to a stop in front of the door. Danielle moved to open the door, but was stopped when Sam put her arm out, blocking her path. Danielle looked up at her mother who shook her head side to side and moved them both to the side of the door. From where she floated, Danielle could seen Danny doing the same on the opposite side before knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" Came a voice that still made Danielle shiver even though she had been pardoned from Ember's fiery wrath.

"Danny Phantom. I need to talk with you, Ember."

All was quiet as the seconds ticked by and nothing happened. At the sound of the tumblers in the door shifting, the three tensed up, but when the door started opening and nothing was jumping out at them, Danielle relaxed as she released her breath.

"And here I was expecting-"

A giant stream of fire flew out from the open door, making Danielle shriek in surprise at the flamethrower style of attacked. After almost a minute, the fire died down and all was quiet once more.

"If you're still alive or unburned enough to move, then get in here," Ember's voice called.

Danny floated through the threshold first, just to be safe.

"And that, Ellie, is why you never stand directly in front of the door to the lair of your enemies or anyone you don't know in the Ghost Zone," Sam said as she followed Danny. Danielle swallowed down some of her nerves, but followed behind her parents. Once all three were inside, the door closed behind them.

As they looked around the lair, which resembled the world's fanciest tour bus, decorated in Ember's signature colors, they quickly spotted the flaming ponytail of Ember as she glared at them from the couch. Danielle could feel her nerves returning as she watch Ember tune her guitar, through whether it was for musical purposes or battle purposes, she didn't know, nor was she sure she wanted to.

"Alright, Dipstick. Speak and speak quick cause you only got about 30 seconds before I knock you into oblivion. What do you want and why are you here?"

"Good to see you too," Danny sneered back before sighing. "Alright, look. I'll level with you. Danielle needs a date to her school dance."

"And what's that got to do with me?"

"She wants to take Youngblood as her date," Sam said. Ember raised an eyebrow before a smirk came across her face as she looked at Danielle.

"Really now? So, you wanna take my little brother on a date, aye Baby-Dip?"

"It's not a date date," Danielle said, her face turning a bright red in embarrassment. "It's just a school date."

Ember laughed loudly at the easy way she had been able to get under the young Phantom's skin so easily.

"So if she wants to ask him, why are you two here?" she asked as she looked back at Danny and Sam. "By the way, love the new look, Babypop."

"Yeah, well, having a heart attack and having ghost ectoplasm stored in your body will do that to you," Sam said sarcastically. It was no big secret or surprise that Ember knew about Sam's transformation as the ghost in the Ghost Zone were known to gossip often, and of course, all of Danny's enemies would be sure to find out about her recent death.

"Seriously, how many times do I have to say that I'm sorry?" Danielle said in exasperation.

"I told you, it's not your fault. If anything, it's his," she said, pointing at Danny who rolled his eyes at the all too familiar conversation they're had the past couple weeks. "And to answer your question, we came to be sure you were ok with this and to make arrangements."

"Sure, whatever," Ember said as she resumed tuning her guitar.

"Oh my god, thank you!" Danielle said in excitement.

"Hey, where is he anyway?" Sam asked.

"Through that door," Ember said as she pointed to a door in the very back of the room. "It's a secondary portal to his lair."

Danielle nodded and flew across the small space to the door, opening it and entering her friend's lair. Danielle had been in this particular lair multiple times before she moved in with her parents, and was always amazed at how it would change based solely on whatever adventure Youngblood wanted to do at the time. Danielle smiled as she looked at the familiar pirate theme, and flew over to her friend who was currently standing on the deck of the pirate ship.

Back in Ember's lair, Danny and Sam were explaining the details about the dance to her.

"And she's really excited about it all. She even said she had fun dress shopping with my sister," Danny said.

"Well can't say I blame her. The kid never had a chance to do any of this stuff. So what colors are they supposed to wear?"

Sam was about to answer when the door to Youngblood's lair flew open and a crying black and white blur shot past them toward the door to the Ghost Zone. Sam was out the door and trailing behind her daughter in no time, worry and anxiety about her crying taking over her maternal instincts. Danny turned back to the young ghost's door to see him standing in the threshold, a shocked expression on his face.

"What happened," Danny demanded as his anger began to grow.

"Jacob, what did you do!?" Ember yelled at him as she got to her feet and her boots slammed onto the floor with a deafening thud.

"I-I-" Youngblood stammered in fright. "I just told her I didn't want to go and-"

"You're lying!" Danny yelled. "There's no way she would have flown out of here crying like that just because you said no!"

"Well…I kinda told her I didn't want to go to a stupid school dance and that I didn't want to dress up and that girls were gross and I would never go on a date with her," he said guiltily as he looked at his feet.

"Danny could feel his ectoplasm coming to a boil in his veins. This punk kid had the nerve to not only turn his daughter's invitation, but then he had the audacity to insult her too? Danny was about to let his anger out, but was stopped when a ball of fire seemed to explode near him. Turning, Danny was surprised to see Ember's body on fire and her growling at Youngblood.

"Jacob, you and I are going to have a little talk," she said as she advanced on him.

A few days later, Danielle sat in front of her Aunt's vanity as Jazz finished applying a bit of make-up to her face and Sam pulled a brush threw her hair. Though she had been excited about it all before, she now sat with a slightly sadden look on her face that Jazz and Sam had been trying to get rid of.

"Cheer up, Danielle. You get to go to your first dance ever," Jazz said.

"She's right, Ellie. Not to mention how beautiful you look," Sam said. Danielle looked up to see her reflection who was wearing an all white spaghetti strap dress that had glitter and puffed pout at the waist and came down to her ankles, making her look like a princess. She was also wearing black evening gloves that came to her elbows and matching black flats. These things, along with a light amount of make-up and with her hair hanging down instead of being in its usual ponytail, made her look like a picture perfect girl. However, the frown that seemed etched onto her face took away from it all.

"Yeah, I guess," she said.

The two older girls looked at each other with concern, but turned to the door as a knock on the door came. Opening the door, Danny stuck his head in before walking in and going over to Danielle.

"Wow. You look beautiful, Ellie," he said.

"Thanks, Dad," she said quietly as she stood up and turned to face him. The downcast look in her eyes had been easily spotted by Danny who didn't like it anymore then Sam and Jazz did.

"Hey, wipe that look off your face. You're supposed to be excited about going to your first ever dance. Besides, I've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" she asked with an eyebrow cocked. She looked over her shoulder at Sam and Jazz who simply shrugged. When she faced her father again, he had a huge grin on his face before walking out of the door and motioning for her to follow him, to which she did. As they descended the stairs, Danielle was silently wishing she had x-ray vision or mind reading, any power that could help her to figure out what he had planned. When they reached the bottom, Danny stepped aside, and was rewarded with a gasp.

Danielle could feel the shock running in her veins as she gazed upon the sire of Ember standing in her living room, and next to her, a fancily dressed Youngblood in a black tuxedo, dress shows, and a white tie that matched her dress. His face was clean, not a single speck of dirt anywhere on it, and his hair had been combed back and had gel to keep it in place.

Ember turned to him and nudged him with her foot. As he stepped forward, he gulped and tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach.

"Hi, Dani," he said nervously. "I just wanted to say I'm really, really sorry about before. I didn't know how important this all was to you, and I didn't mean to hurt your feeling. I-"

Before he could finish, he found himself on the ground, a bruise sure to form on his cheek where she had punched him. He looked up at her surprised, as were all the adults, as she stood there growling and panting, fist still shaking and eyes glowing a bright green in anger.

"You shut up, Jacob Jemerson! I don't know where you get off thinking some lame apology like that is gonna fix anything, but it's not! You can just go back to the Ghost Zone because I never want to see you again!" she screamed in his face.

Everyone was silent, the tension in air thick, but that was quickly broken as a loud laugh echoed throughout the room. Ember was leaning against the wall, arms crossed as she shook with laughter.

"Ok, now, I'm _really_ glad we did this!"


	18. Chapter 18: Dance Dance Revolution

Chapter 18: Dance Dance Revolution

Danny rubbed his temples as he paced back and forth in front of the couch. Everyone's eyes were on him as he seemed to be attempting to run a rut into the floor while trying to find a solution to his current problem with his daughter and her "date" who were sitting on the couch, each occupying one end as they refused to sit near each other. Danielle, who had caused this little incident with her assaulting of the young pirate, had her arms crossed and a pout on her face as she refused to look at her father. It didn't take much for her to know that there was a lecture with her name on it, but at the present moment, she didn't care. Youngblood, who refused to look at the young phantom, continued to rub his cheek that would no doubt bruise up.

"Ok," Danny said with a frustrated sigh as he stopped and looked at the two of them. "I don't know what exactly to make of any of this. I mean, first you want to go with him so bad, you spend the last month begging us nonstop to let him go. Then when he says no, you walk around so depressed all week…I thought this would make you happy."

"Well as of right now, I can't stand to be anywhere near him," Danielle said.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that from the way you decked him."

Ember, who had been standing back against the wall observing the conversation, let out another loud laugh as her brother turned and glared at her.

"Shut up! It's not funny!" Youngblood yelled.

"Only in your opinion," she said. "Serves you right if you ask me. Maybe you'll finally learn to watch your mouth."

"Look, it doesn't matter what you say because I'm not going with him anywhere," Danielle said, interrupting the arguing siblings and looking up at Danny.

"Oh yes you are," Danny replied. "I didn't just spend every waking moment with you for the last month, hearing about how much you want to go with him, and negotiate with Ember, just for you to have a little temper tantrum and decide now that you don't want him to go. Oh no, you ARE taking him."

"There is no way I'm taking that immature brat as my date!"

"Hey!" Youngblood cried out in protest. "I'm sitting right here! And are you calling a brat, you brat!"

"You, you ugly, smelly, loud mouth-" Danielle started before being interrupted.

"Annoying, cry baby, goodie-two-shoed-"

"Alright, enough!" Sam yelled as she moved to stand next to Danny. Both children silenced themselves, but continued to glare at each other. Sam sighed before facing Danny. "Maybe we this isn't such a good idea."

"Oh no, she is not getting out of this," Danny said with a shake of his head.

"I already said I'm not taking him. And what happened to not fraternizing with the enemy?"

"That went out the window a while ago, and like you said, he's not your enemy, he's mine. So, here's the deal. Either you take him as your date, or, you don't get to go to the dance at all," Danny said as he frowned down at her with his arms crossed.

"What! But that's not fair!" Danielle screamed as her eyes turned bright green in fury. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Even Ember, who was mostly just there for appearances, was surprised at how harsh Danny was being on her. Sure, the kids were being bratty, but to tell her she couldn't go was definitely not his style of punishment. No, if she knew the Dipstick like she thought she did, he had something planned.

Sam was shocked by what Danny said. Even though she knew that Danny didn't want Danielle to have a date to the dance that he didn't approve of, never would she thought he would go as far as to forbid her from going, no matter how bad she was acting. Although, the look on his face was starting to prove her otherwise.

"Neither is the fact that everyone went through all this trouble to be sure that your first school dance was a good one while you sit here acting like a brat."

"But you can't do that!"

"Correction, I can, and will. And I'd advise you check that, missy," Danny said, arms still crossed.

"Danny, don't you think that's a little harsh?" Sam whispered as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Danny said nothing as Danielle's nostrils flared and the glowing green of her eyes began to fade until they were once again their original blue color.

"Fine," she said as she jumped off the couch and crossed her arms.

"Fine what?" Danny asked.

"I will take him as my date," she mumbled and looked away from him, her anger at him obvious to everyone, even Cujo who hid behind the couch and whined in fear as he had never seen his youngest master this angry before.

"Good. Jazz is gonna drive you two there. Have fun, and both of you stay out of trouble," he said as he gazed sternly at them both. "And call us if you need anything."

"Whatever," she said as she quickly snatched her small handbag that Jazz had loaned her, which held her cell phone, some money, and emergency makeup kit, off the coffee table and made her way out the door. Youngblood looked at Ember, a look of displeasure etched across his face, but soon found himself walking out the door as well from the frown on her face.

"I hope you know what you doing, little brother," Jazz whispered to him as she grabbed her car keys off the hook by the door and made her way outside.

Sam watched them leave, a look of worry on her face, and as soon as the door was closed, spun around to face Danny.

"What the hell was all that?" she asked irritably with her hands firmly planted on her hips.

"What was what?" Danny smirked as he tried to play it off as though nothing had happened.

"Don't give me that, Daniel James Fenton. I know when you're up to something, and I want to know what exactly it is that you just did."

"Tough love?" he said with a shrug of his shoulders as the smirk never left his face.

"Right. And how, exactly, is pissing her off and sending her to the dance all angry a good idea?"

"Sam's right, Danny. Do you really think that was a smart move?" Maddie said.

"What the Dipstick is trying to do is force the two of them to talk it out," Ember said as she continued to lean against the wall. "It's like trying to force a cat and a dog to like each other. You have to force them to be around each other. And I gotta say I'm impressed that you could actually think of something like that, Dipstick."

"Actually, you can thank Skulker. I got the idea from when he tried to force me and Valerie to be his prey in the Ghost Zone and we had to work together to escape him. And besides, what's the worst that could happen? Either they're gonna stay mad at each other, they'll resolve it, or one of them will piss the other off to no end, and if that happens, it shouldn't be too hard to know if that happens. With their tempers, I'd bet we could see the fight all the way over here."

"Danny!" Sam cried. "That's horrible to say! I don't like those odds."

"Sam, calm down. Everything will be fine. Trust me."

"Trust me," Ember said.

"Why would I trust you?" Sam asked in confusion.

"Because if Jacob knows what's good for him, he'll make this work," Ember growled as she raised a flaming blue fist.

As her aunt's car drove way in the direction of her home, Danielle could feel the nervousness building up in her stomach, but kept a scowl firmly planted on her face. From the corner of her eye, she could see that Youngblood was looking at the car as well, but was also looking at her from the corner of his eye. Finally deciding that this wasn't going to make the night go any faster, Danielle decided to speak her mind.

"Alright, look. Neither of us wants to be here, so let's just get through this and then we never have to speak to each other again. Deal?"

Youngblood sighed. He knew she was angry with him, but he never thought she would have been as pissed as she was. Sure, the punch was a dead giveaway, but he didn't mean to upset her. She was only friend he had other then Parrot and Ember, and neither of them were nearly as fun as Dani was. She really was his only friend, which meant that he was gonna have to do like Ember had told him, and find a way to fix this before it really was too late. And that's if it wasn't already.

"Look, Dani, I'm sorry, ok? I really didn't mean to upset you. You're my only real friend and I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I was being a jerk and-"

"Just save it, Jacob. I'm not in the mood for it. Let's just go inside," she said as she made her way toward the doors of the gymnasium. Youngblood said nothing as he followed behind her. As they got closer to the building, the sound of loud Pop music and talking could be heard. Danielle clutched her hands tightly around her handbag as she tried to calm her nerves and to control her excitement. Youngblood, seeing a chance to make things better, grasped the handle, and held the door open for her. Though the jester was nice and very much gentlemen like, Danielle wasn't the least bit impressed, and rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, but it's gonna take more than holding the door open to make me even consider forgiving you."

"I know, but every little bit helps, right?" he asked hopefully, but got no reply as she strode past him and into the social gathering.

Both stared on in amazement at the setup that was before them. Directly across from them at the far end of the gym was the stage which was currently being used by the DJ as his sound station, complete with turntables, speakers and soundboard equipment. To their right was a whole wall lined with tables that held various treats and snack foods, including a punch bowl. On the last side, were various round tables setup for the students to sit at and to relax from dancing.

"Danielle!" Danielle spun around to see her classmate, Lin, rushing toward, followed closely by the ever annoying and yet simple Jordan. "I'm so glad you made it! The way you were talking and acting, I was sure you weren't gonna come." She said as the two embraced in a hug.

"Yeah, I know. Things got a bit…heated back at my house, but here I am," she said as she tried to think of a good way to describe the argument she had just had with her father. "I see you decided on the green dress. I told you it would go great with your eyes and it really brought out the light blonde in your hair."

"Yeah, I know, you were right. And I just love the way your hair looks when it's down!" she said excitedly.

"Thanks," she said before noticing Jordan standing right behind Lin. "You look really nice in green too Jordan."

"Thanks, Dani," he said as he swept some of his dark brown hair out of his eyes.

"So, I'm guessing you came alone?" Lin asked. Danielle sighed as she knew it was only a matter of time before that question came up.

"No, I brought a date. Lin, Jordan, this is Jacob," she said, gesturing to Youngblood who hadn't paid any attention to what the three were saying as he was too busy looking at all the decorations. Upon hearing his name, he turned back to the small group and smiled at the two unknown humans who were busying themselves looking over his pale skin, green hair and ghostly aura.

"Hi, nice to meet you," he said, his voice giving off a slight echo.

"Whoa! Are you a ghost!?" Jordan asked in way more excitement then was necessary.

"Yes, Jacob is a ghost, Jordan," Danielle said with a sigh. Lin, noticing her friend's distress, quickly thought of a distraction.

"Hey, why don't you guys be gentlemen and get us some punch?" she asked sweetly.

"Sure thing," Youngblood said as he and Jordan made their way across the dance floor toward the refreshments.

As soon as they were out of ear shot, Lin crossed her arms and looked at Danielle with the same look she had given her on her first day.

"Alright, Fenton. Spill. What's with all the sighing and that look on your face?"

"It's nothing Lin. It's just…I don't really want to be here with him," Danielle admitted.

"Then why did you bring him?"

"Because…I had no choice. I knew Youngblood from before and had asked him to be my date, which Danny wasn't happy about, but he had said no which is why I've been all, well…"

"All emo for the last week?" Lin said with a grin which caused Danielle to laugh.

"Yeah, that. So he showed up earlier to apologize, but I was so angry, I didn't want to bring him, but Danny said either I bring him or I couldn't go because apparently I was acting like a brat just because I decked him. So now I just want to get this over with as soon as possible, but he's bent on trying to make it up to me."

"Well, I think you should let him."

"What? Why?"

"Oh come on, Dani. Are you really gonna stay mad just because he said no?"

"It wasn't because he said no; it's the way he said it. It just…really hurt."

"Well then make him work for it because if he's really sorry, he'll do whatever he needs to make sure you forgive him," Lin said with a wink just as the two boys made their way back over. Jordan handed her the punch, which she thanked him for happily, while Danielle merely grumbled a low thanks to Youngblood. Lin was starting to get annoyed with Danielle's attitude, but knew it would take time for the stubborn girl to get over it. "Here, give me your bag. I'll put it with our stuff. You guys go dance and we'll meet you on the dance floor."

Danielle was about to protest when Lin snatched her bag from her hand and took off for their table with Jordan not far behind. Danielle's shoulders slumped in defeat as she watched her only chance at not having to deal with Youngblood the whole night by herself, take off with her bag. Youngblood could feel his hand shaking in nervousness as the cup he was holding began to spill some of his punch. If there was one thing Youngblood was always trying to avoid, it was dancing. For as long as he could remember, when he was still alive, dancing was something he had always loved to do. Of course some dances he enjoyed more than others. He could still remember how much he disliked having to take ballroom dancing lessons, but none the less, it was always something he enjoyed. Of course, he tried to keep it secret. If anyone had discovered his hobby, he never would have heard the end of it. Unfortunately for him, word got around, causing him much embarrassment and making his life horrible. With this in mind, he vowed to not dance ever again. For reasons unknown to him, that attitude carried over into his afterlife. If his men knew he was secretly into dancing, he could only imagine the ridicule that they would give to him. Not to mention the mutiny that would probably occur, and if that got out into the Ghost Zone…

But for some reason, in the back of his mind as all these thought were raging around in his head, a tiny, small part of him was telling him that he had to do it and that everything would be alright. And that small thing was Dani. Because he knew that if there was anyone he could trust with his secret and that would stand by his side through anything, even the total and complete destruction of his afterlife, it was Dani, his only real friend.

Without another moment of hesitation, Youngblood dropped his cup, punch pilling everywhere, and grabbed Danielle's free hand before dragging her off toward the dance floor. Danielle, who was surprised at the sudden urgency in his steps, quickly snapped out into her senses as she yanked her hand from his grasp and brought both of them to a stop.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked in irritation.

"We need to dance," he said urgently.

"What?"

"We need to dance! Dani, we need to dance, right now! It's the only way things can get better!"

"Ok, I don't know what has gotten into you, Jacob Jemerson, but I do know that there is NO WAY, I am dancing with YOU!" she said, poking him in the chest with each word.

"Then don't dance with me. Dance against me," he said, a smile coming to his face at the brilliant idea. If he knew anything at all about Danielle, it was that she NEVER turned down a challenge.

"Oh no," she said, shaking her head as she saw the look in his eye. "You're not going to get me with that, Jacob."

Youngblood never let the smile fall from his face as the music began to plus threw him. Without missing a beat, his feet began to move, sliding him from side to side, a small trail of his ecto energy following behind him, lighting his body up. Many of the students who were around the couple began to notice not only the flashy display coming from the undead boy, but were mesmerized by the way he seemed to move so effortlessly, as if it were second nature to him. Youngblood looked up at Danielle who he could see was watching him with a bored expression on her face, but watching him none the less.

"What's the matter, Danielle? Don't tell me the ever over confident girl halfa is afraid of a little dancing? Or is it that she can't, and is actually giving up for the first time ever?" he taunted, knowing that it was getting under her skin, even if she wasn't showing it.

Danielle rolled her eyes, but fell for his baiting, and started to slowly move her body to the beat of the music. As the song began to transition into another upbeat one, Danielle found herself moving more and more with the beat, as well as increasing the pace of her dance steps, bringing a small smile to her face. As her gazed turned to her opponent, she was surprised to see that he had already started to increase his pace and was in the process of standing on his hands. To both her surprise and amazement, he was still able to keep up with the beat of the music as he spun around on his palms before leaning forward into a summersault that brought him back to his feet and a cocky grin to his face.

A small crowd had gathered around him, and was now cheering and clapping for him as he bowed to them and then to her which did not sit well with her. Or at least, that's the vibe he was receiving from the pout on her face.

As much as she hated to admit it, he was a good dancer, and he was definitely dancing better than her. But if there was anything he knew about her, it's that she wasn't going to sit for that. Doing a quick scan of the area, she smiled at the site of an empty table nearby. Youngblood, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her, had a confused look on his face as he followed her gaze to the table, but never voiced his question as he knew she was up to something sneaky.

Turning to her left, Danielle made a dash toward the tables. Many of the spectators were confused by her reaction, wondering if she was upset or embarrassed, but Youngblood knew she was up to something. As Danielle got closer to the table, her eyes suddenly flashed green and an electric green aura began to emit from her body that left a trail similar to the one Youngblood had created. Once she was in range of the table, Danielle began to push her energy into her legs, increasing their strength, which allowed her to leap onto the table with grace that surprised many people. As her feet landed on the flat surface, without even pausing to let people adjust to the idea, Danielle sprung up into the air. The spectators gasped as they watched her go almost ten feet in the air and lean backwards in a clear indication that she was going to perform a back flip. Youngblood watched as it all progressed, almost as if it was in slow motion, and was truly surprise when she folded her body in and began to twirl like a ball, the aura swirling around her the entire time. As she came closer to the ground, Danielle spun around, facing Youngblood again before she landed into a graceful spilt that could give any cheerleader a run for her money.

The crowd that had seen it began to roar in applause and admiration for the young woman's impressive feat, and she couldn't help but smile at the stunned look on Youngblood's face as she righted herself and stood up.

"What now, smart guy?" she mocked as she walked up to him and crossed her arms.

"Oh, you're good, I'll give you that. But this is definitely not over yet," he said as his eyes began to glow green. As his body, still a glow with ghostly energy, began to levitate, Youngblood held his arms out at his sides as his hands began to shine with light. "I call this one, the Tornado!"

Danielle watched as Youngblood began to spin around, slowly gaining speed until he was nothing more than a blur. Soon, any recognizable features of the pirate were gone as nothing but green light began to spiral into a cone shape that moved about gracefully between and around the dancers before wrapping itself around her, almost as if it were alive. As much as she hated to admit it, Danielle was loving the feeling of the energy as its warmth moved over a body, reminding her of the sun on a clear day.

As the mini tornado moved back to its original spot and began to slow, the crowd cheered once more, many of the students loving the show that they were being provided. Danielle smiled as Youngblood dropped to his feet, wobbling slightly from his spinning frenzy. Once his eyes focused on her, she couldn't help smirking as she rose onto her tip toes.

"Watch and be amazed, boys. There's a reason Danny's so protective of me," she called out.

To everyone's amazement, she began to twirl around like a ballerina, using her momentum to build speed. As she closed her eyes, smirk still on her face, her body flashed in a bright white light that many recognized, especially Youngblood, as a sign of her transformation. However, to everyone's surprise, the rings did not appear around her body, but instead at her feet. Everyone watched in awe as the single white ring rose up from the ground. As it passed over her feet, her once midnight black flats were now a glistening snow white. The ring continued up her legs and over her waste and chest, changing her white dress into an exact black replica of it that seemed to sparkle with left over energy. Throwing her arms out, the ring split, transforming her gloves to match her shoes. But the thing that truly struck all the boys senses was the way it travelled over her head. Whipping her head back to allow her now free hair to fly around her like a shroud, everyone gasped as it slowly moved through each strand, changing the color from black to white. As Danielle felt her transformation finish, she came to a halt and faced Youngblood. Opening her eyes, she smiled as some of her hair had fallen perfectly over her right eye, giving her a more adult look that truly showed how beautiful she could be. For a moment, everyone was stunned before all the boys started to cheer and whistle at her. Even many of the girls, who should have been upset with her that their dates weren't paying more attention to them, where amazed and couldn't get over just how beautiful she looked. Smirking, Danielle folded her arms behind her back before addressing her own date.

"So, Jacob, what do you think?" she asked the still stunned young man as his jaw hung open.

"I-I…uh…wa-I mean WOW! Dani, you look…really pretty," he said as he brain began to reconnect with his body.

"Thanks," she said as a small blush came to her face from all the attention she was getting. "My m-ur, Sam. Sam helped me practice that transformation. She told me about how she'd seen Danny manipulate his rings, so she helped me come up with that one."

"Yeah, well it's…I don't even know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. Just watch," she said with a weird echo to her voice that didn't go unnoticed by him. In another flash of light, there were suddenly two Danielle's as her duplicate smiled at him too. Youngblood was at a loss for words as the two girls began to dance in unison around him, each winking at him. Just before he thought he'd pass out from their beauty and the scent of her strawberry perfume, both backed up to their original spot, the duplicate back flipping while the original Danielle ran up and jumped off her back, this time going much higher than the last time.

The duplicate smiled one last time before turning into a ball of green energy that instantly flew up to Danielle's body, swirling around her like a gravitational ring. As she floated in the air with the energy, she once again began to spin, this time at a slower pace, allowing everyone to see as her hands began to glow. One by one, she began to throw balls of energy into the air towards the ceiling. Everyone gasped as they believed that the balls were going to connect with the roof above them, but were surprised when the balls suddenly stopped and hovered in place. As Danielle finally came to a stop, she smiled at her handy work while charging an ecto disk in her hand.

"And now for the big finish," she whispered to herself as she reeled back and tossed the disk into the air and straight for the ball in the center. The second the two came into contact, it set off a chain reaction, one miniature explosion after another and created a miniature fireworks show. Everyone in the room screamed as loud as possible at the brilliant display as little sparkles of energy fell from the sky and onto them before vanishing. Danielle lowered herself into the center of the applause and in front of Youngblood who had the biggest smile on his face she'd ever seen.

Much to her surprise, the young pirate bowed to her before declaring, "As a gentlemen of honor, I humbly concede."

Danielle couldn't help but laugh at his jester, especially considering anything else he does would never classify as gentlemen like, but followed suite, and curtsied to him.

"Why thank you, good sir. Now, shall we head outside for a bit of air?"

"But of course, me lady," he said, offering his arm to her to which she gladly took. The crowd soon parted and paved a small path for the two young ghosts as they cheered them on for a show well done. As they reached the doors, Danielle could see none other than Tammy and Timmy Turner, both dressed in red, as well as their group of friends, glaring at her from the wall near the refreshments, which only brought a bigger smile to her face. It didn't take her enhanced hearing for her to be able to decipher the threat that was moving across the blonde A-lister's lips.

Once they were finally outside, the two walked around to the playground and took a seat on the swings next to each other.

"Well, I gotta say, you really know how to have a good time, Jacob," Danielle said.

"Thanks, Dani. You certainly surprised me too. I mean, where did you learn those moves?" he asked in excitement.

"I watch a lot of those dancing shows. I guess I just picked somethings up," she said with a small laugh before her face became emotionless again. "Bet you enjoyed yourself, huh?"

"Yeah. I haven't had that much fun since…"

"Since what?" she asked.

"Well…since before you moved in with Phantom," he said as he looked at the ground guiltily. Danielle was shocked by this, but also very confused. How could he not have had fun when he had plenty of time as a ghost?

"I don't understand."

"It's just that…I only have fun like that when…I hang out with you," he said as he brought his head up to look at her.

"Only when you hang out with me?"

"Yeah. Contrary to what you and everyone else might think, I only have three real friends. The only people who really respect me as something other than a Captain are you, Ember and Parrot. But those two never have any fun with me. Ember only does if we're causing trouble, and Parrot is my assistant. He's only there to make sure I'm doing things properly, and when he's not with me, he's doing his own thing. The only person who likes to have fun with me like a kid is you."

"Well…" Danielle said, a little thrown off by his sudden revelation, but quickly remembering why she was mad in the first place. "Then why did you say no and act like a little jerk when I asked you to come here with me in the first place?"

"Because I was scared."

"Scared? Of what?"

"Of what you and everyone else would think of me. When I was alive, I used to dance all the time. I even took classes and learned how to ballroom dance. But do you know what happened when kids at school found out?" he asked, looking at her. "They laughed at me. They called me names. They beat me up. It was terrible. I used to have nightmares about it. When I died, I still remembered everything I had learned and my love for it, but by then, I had become a Captain and had my own crew. Do you know what would happen if anyone ever found out about me dancing?"

"No, I don't, Jacob," she said with sympathy.

"My crew…they would laugh at me. They would betray me. And if that wasn't bad enough, they would probably see me as unfit to be their Captain."

"Which would lead to a mutiny," she said as she started understand why he was so cautious about this.

"And what's a Captain without a crew? And it wouldn't stop there. Ghost in the Ghost Zone gossip, so if word got around that I liked to dance and that my crew left me, then that would be it for my afterlife. So…that's why when you asked me to go as your date to a dance-"

"You became defensive because of your fear of losing everything," she said.

"Yeah. But then when your friend suggested we dance, I don't know why, but there was this small part of me that told me that even if my secret got out, that everything would be ok. Do you know what that thing was?" he asked with a smile on his face. Danielle shook her head no as she watched him. "It was our friendship."

"Our friendship?"

"I knew that if anyone would accept me for my secret, even if no one else did, you would. When I figured that out, I knew the only way to get that comfort back would be to lay my cards out on the table and show you how much it all meant to me. I'm really sorry for everything, Dani, and I'll do anything to fix this, just please…tell me you forgive me."

Danielle was quiet as she stared into his eyes and could see the truly desperate pain he felt to make it up to her. She smiled as she stood up and walked in front of him, his eyes never leaving her.

"Lin was right. You really did do whatever he had to apologize," she said. As if on instinct, the two began to lean in toward each other, their faces coming closer and closer, almost touching.

"Sounds like you two had a good time," a voice cried out that made both young ghost jump back in surprise. Danielle whipped her head around to see none other than her parents floating behind her.

"Mom! Dad! What are you guys doing here!?" Danielle cried out as her face started to turn bright red.

"Well, we decided to come check up on you two to see how things were going," Sam said as she tried to hold back her giggles.

"So you sneak up on us!?" she cried out. "Oh God, I'm so embarrassed!"

"Well we hadn't meant to," Danny said as his body shook with laughter. "Look, you two go back to talking about whatever you were, and we'll see you later, Ellie." The two teens waved before vanishing in an invisible light, fading away. Danielle groaned as she turned back around to see Youngblood blushing as well.

"Well…that could have gone better."

"Tell me about it," Danielle said as she sat back in her seat. "I swear, my dad is always checking up on me like I'm some little kid."

"I'd rather it be him then Ember. You haven't seen her as made as I have."

"I guess that's true. Oh, and Jacob?" she said before leaning over and placing a kiss on his cheek, smile on her face. "Apology accepted."

Youngblood couldn't help the smile that rose to his face as he placed his hand on his cheek where the bruise was now covered by a kiss.

As Danny as Sam hovered above their daughter, unseen, Danny couldn't help but smile at her happiness and seeing her grow up right before his eyes.

"Hey, Sam."

"Yeah?" she asked as her eyes continued to look at the sweet moment below them.

"Looks like you'll be giving her that talk sooner then you thought," Danny said as he began to laugh at the horrified look on her Sam's face at his joke. Though shocked at first, Sam quickly recovered and growled as a vine sprouted from her back and shot sharp, pointed spikes at him. Danny yelped in surprise as the spikes lodged themselves into his backside. "Ouch! Jeez, Sam! It was just a joke!" he cried as he began pulling the spikes out. As he turned around, he once again yelped in surprise as he dodged more spikes. "Sam!"

"I'll show you whose laughing, Daniel James Phantom!" she yelled as three more vines sprouted from her back and pointed themselves at him in a fire ready position.

"Uh, I think this is the part when I fly away screaming," he said before taking off.

"You can fly, but you can't hide, ghost boy!" she yelled as she chased after him.

**Ok, sorry for the long wait, I've been super busy, yada yada yada, blah blah blah. You know what this is. Anyway, just wanted to say that this is probably going to be the LAST normal chapter because the story is about to take a bit of a plot twist that I've been working on for a long time and that will lead into the sequel. So, be prepared because things are about to get good!**


	19. Chapter 19: Projects and Punishments

Chapter 19: Projects and Punishments

Maddie hummed quietly to herself as she stirred cookie dough in a bowl. As everyone in her family knew, her cooking was less then desirable ever since she began using ecto-powered machinery to do so, but if there was one thing she was always a pro at making, it was cookies. And no one loved her cookies more than Danielle. Well, no one except Jack. As she continued her task, she could distinctly hear the sounds of Cujo barking excitedly, which only happened when Danielle was home.

"Oh, perfect! I bet Danielle would love to try my newest recipe-"

But Maddie was cut short by the sound of the front door as it swung open and slammed against the wall with a deafening thud. Quickly placing the bowl on the table, Maddie made her way toward the living room to see her granddaughter stomp by her angrily.

"Danielle, sweetie, are you alright?"

"Fine," she grumbled as she continued to make her way toward the stairs.

"Oh. Well, would you like to help me make some cookies? I've got a new recipe."

"I'm not hungry," she said as she climbed the stairs. Maddie continued to watch her with concern until she heard the sound of the bedroom door slam, a feeling that shook throughout the entire house.

"Goodness. What has gotten into that girl?"

"Something with one of her classmates," Sam said as she, Danny and Jazz walked in. "Apparently, she has to do a science project on the solar system with this popular girl, but the two of them can't stand each other and don't get along."

"Can't say I blame her," Danny said. "The A-Listers are the worst. Remember the time that Dash was supposed to be helping me train for the Presidential Fitness test, but all he did was bag on me the whole time?"

"How about the time Pauline tried to make me jealous by asking you to the dance just so she could dump you," Sam said in disgust.

"Well, regardless of how these two feel about the popular kids," Jazz said, getting back on topic, "we tried to tell her it may not be so bad, but I with the stubbornness that runs on both sides of her family, it didn't do much good."

Maddie sighed as she made her way back to the kitchen.

"I'd better get these cookies in the oven then. It's gonna take at least a dozen to get her out of this funk," she said.

"Based on the way the two of them were glaring at each other, I think you're gonna need way more than a dozen, Mom," Jazz said as she went to help.

As the evening went on, the family sat down to dinner, and afterwards, everyone went about busying themselves; Jack and Maddie worked on new inventions, Jazz went outside to read a book in the backyard, Danny and Sam sat on the couch doing homework, and Danielle stayed in her room playing with Cujo while trying not to think about how she would have to work with Tammy Turner.

The ringing of the doorbell broke through the small bit of silence that surrounded Danny and Sam, as he placed his pen down and went to open the door, only to be met by a smiling twelve year old with light blonde hair and a very obvious love for the color pink.

"Hi, I'm Tammy Turner. You're Danny Fenton, right?" she asked overenthusiastically.

"Uh, yeah. I am. Good to meet you, Tammy," he said awkwardly as she continued to look him up and down.

"Oh my god! I am a big fan of yours! You're, like, the greatest hero in the world!"

"Yeah, thanks. Danielle!" he called up the stairs as he let her in and closed the door before walking back toward the couch. "Tammy's here."

It was silent as no one said anything, waiting for Danielle to acknowledge that she had heard him, but they heard nothing. Danny was just wondering if she had even heard him and was going to call again, when the sound of her door opening caught his attention. As the door opened, the sound of loud barking and the pounding of feet resonated through the air. The large green dog came bounding down the stairs and headed straight for Tammy as she screamed in fear of the monstrous size of the creature. Placing her back against the door, she backed up as far as she could as his large red eyes focused on her and he continued to growl at her menacingly. Danielle came down the stairs soon after, a smirk on her face as she walked passed Danny who moved out of the way to avoid being run over by the dog, and stood next to Cujo.

"Hi, Tammy," she said.

"Wh-what i-is thi-this thing!?" she stuttered.

"Oh this? This is Cujo, my ghost dog. He's very protective of me and isn't too keen on new people. Especially those who intrude on his territory. He's very loyal and possessive, and can be vicious if provoked."

"Danielle, take him outside," Danny commanded as he began to get angry. Danielle turned to look behind her and glared at her father for trying to ruin her fun. Danny, not in the mood for her games, flashed his eyes green in warning before raising his voice at her. "Now, Danielle Lilith!"

Danielle cringed slightly at the use of her first and middle name. She knew testing her father's patience was risky, but when her name came into play the way it did, she knew he was being serious. Luckily for her, it didn't happen often.

"Fine," she grumbled, snapping her fingers. "Cujo, heel."

Instantly, the giant dog backed away from the frightened girl, but continued to growl in the back of his throat at her.

"Good boy. Now, who wants a treat? Huh? Who wants one?" Danielle said excitedly. Cujo barked happily as he began to shrink back into his puppy form, shocking Tammy even more. Danielle kneeled down and picked up the happy green puppy. "Come on. Mommy's going to get you a special treat." As she walked into the kitchen, Tammy, who was still trying to catch her breath, could see an amused smirk on Danielle's face. Danny, having seen it as well, followed her, completely unamused. Sam sighed as she watched the two leave.

"Sorry about that," she said. "He's actually a really sweet dog, and Danielle has been told many times before not to make him scare people. If you'd like, you can wait in Danielle's room upstairs."

"Is there anything else like that in there?" Tammy asked nervously.

"No, I promise that that's all."

"Good," she said as she ascended the stair. Once up the stairs, Tammy proceeded to head into the room that had the girl's name on it while Sam got up from the couch and walked toward the backyard where the sounds of her boyfriend's ranting could be heard.

"-can't believe you did that, and I can't believe you were so irresponsible." Danny said.

"Whatever, Dad. Like you wouldn't have done the same thing if Dash were here," Danielle said with her back to him while petting Cujo who was chewing greedily on the bone she had given him. Jazz had put her book on the table next to her when the two came outside and began their argument, effectively breaking her peaceful relaxation time.

"That's not the point, Danielle. The point is that you disobeyed us. We told you that when we let you keep him, you were responsible for him, and that included keeping him outside or in your room when there are certain guests that came to visit. I don't know where all this back sass and attitude are coming from lately, but it ends now, or else, you will be punished. Understand?"

Danielle said nothing as she began to make her way back toward the house. Danny could feel his patience snapping like a twig in a tornado as he took a step forward, determined to drag her back and discipline her, but stopped as Jazz put a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Danny," she said. Both watched as Danielle walked past Sam, not even looking at her as she went inside the house.

"She's right, Danny," Sam said. "We'll deal with her later. Right now, with that popular girl here, anything we do would only be used against her and make things worse on both ends.

Danny sighed as he ran a hand through his hair and tried to relax.

"Yeah, I guess you guys are right."

As Tammy looked around the small bedroom in boredom, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"Ugh, god. This room is as ugly and boring as she is," she said as she sat on the floor by the bed. Leaning back, her hand brushed against a small red backpack, knocking it over and spilling the contents onto the floor. "Ew, gross." As she moved her hand away, she stopped as she spotted a manila folder with the words "Clone 00-4" written on it. Curious as to what the folder may have and why Danielle would have anything on clones, Tammy opened it, pulling out the papers and scanning over the first page. As she reached the bottom, she gasped in shock before an evil smile crept to her face. "I knew something was off about her. I've got you now, freak."

As she began placing papers back into the folder, the sounds of approaching footsteps caught her attention. Placing the paper she had read over into her purse, she quickly zipped it closed and put the folder back into the backpack she had found it in just as Danielle walked into the room.

"Alright, look, I'm sorry about my dog. It was just a joke. So let's just get this project over with, Turner," Danielle said, taking a seat on her bed.

"Actually Danielle, something's come up and I have to head home. But I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye!" Tammy said as she rushed down the stairs and pass Sam, Danny and Jazz who only stared at her as she exited their home faster than Jack did at the mention of ghost. The three turned to look at Danielle who shrugged her shoulders, just as confused as they were.

"Don't look at me. I just came back to work on the project, and then she rushed out the door like she was on fire," Danielle said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, now that that's dealt with," Danny said, his face turning stern, "you are in so much trouble!"

"Oh man," she grumbled.

"Couch, now." Danielle dragged her feet as she shuffled down the stairs and plopped onto the couch.

"You maybe wanna explain why you decided it was ok to just walk away from your father while he was talking to you?" Sam said as she crossed her arms and stared down at her guilty daughter.

"No, not really," Danielle said as she looked at the floor.

"So you don't have a reason why? You just did it is what you're saying?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you also though it was a good idea to command your dog to scare and growl at your classmate, even though we told you time and time again not to do that?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Unless you want yours to be red and sore, I don't want to hear any buts, Danielle," Sam said sternly as her purple eyes changed to green. Danielle gulped nervously as she nodded her head. As much as she hated to admit it, between her parents, Danielle was definitely more scared of her mother then her father. Where her father was over-bearing and protective, her mother was calm and seemed to allow her more freedom. But it was because of these things that Danielle often found herself wanting to butt heads with her father, especially with her personality being so similar to his. When he was upset with her, she often felt he was over thinking things or blowing them out of proportion, which were often times true. However, if her mother was upset with her, Danielle often found herself unable to respond from fear of upsetting her further. Now was one of those times, and Danielle knew she wasn't going to be getting out of this one.

"Yes ma'am," she said quietly.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Jazz whispered to Danny.

"Nah. Sam's got it under control. Plus, she might actually listen for once if it's someone other than me."

"I'm tired of having this conversation with you, Danielle. What do you have to say for yourself?" Sam asked.

"Uh…it was funny?" she said with a nervous smile.

"Well how funny is being grounded for the next two weeks sound?"

"But-"

"How's three weeks AND a spanking? That better?"

"No! Two weeks is good," she said quickly.

"Good. You can use the time to learn to respect you father more like you're supposed to, and learn to not disobey us. Now, go to your room."

"Yes, ma'am," Danielle slid off the couch and made her way up the stairs, never taking her eyes off the floor. Danny walked up to Sam, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her.

"You ok?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I guess…" she said as her voice shook and eyes started to water. If not for the tight hold Danny had on her, she would have been shaking terribly. "It's just…when I was punishing her, it just reminded me…I realized…I sounded like my parents."

"Sammie, it's ok. You're nothing like them, I promise," Danny said as he tried to calm her. This wasn't the first time Danny had to comfort Sam on this topic. Sam was more lenient with Danielle because she feared that her relationship with her would end up like hers did with her own parents. The thought of history repeating itself always seemed to hang over her head. Sam could think back to many arguments she had had with her parents when she was younger and many of Danielle's actions and her attitude were becoming more and more like her own, which would only bring more problems for her and Danny.

"I know, but…maybe I was too hard on her."

"No, Sam. We have to break her of these habits before they get really out of hand. It'll be ok. I promise," Danny said before kissing her.

"I know. But I hate punishing her. I think I should just leave that to you," she said with a smile.

"I don't know. You handled that pretty well. Besides, sometimes, it's better if you do. She does listen to you more than me when it comes to this stuff, and she doesn't sass you. But I gotta know, would you really have spanked her?"

"Yes," Sam said, with a small smile on her face, "but I'm really hoping it never comes to that."

"Wow. You two have really grown up a lot. I'm proud of you guys," Jazz said with a smile as she headed to her room.

The next morning, Danielle woke up and the first thing she did was apologize to her father for the way she had behaved the previous night. Danny gladly accepted her apology, and the three went downstairs for breakfast. Unfortunately for them, they were out of cereal, and had nothing to eat except toast, Danny and Danielle's least favorite breakfast food.

"God, I hate toast," Danielle said as she landed in front of her school. As she transformed back to her human form, she heard a gasp from behind her. Turning around, Danielle became confused as a group of girls began to walk away from her, sneers on their faces. "Ok? Don't know what crawled up their butts, but whatever," she mumbled as she headed inside.

As she walked down the hall, many of the students stared at her, some even stopping their conversations. Danielle was starting to get annoyed, but didn't say anything as she headed to find her friends. As she neared her locker, she smiled as she caught sight of Lin and Jordan.

"Hey guys," she said as she walked up to them. The two preteens jumped a little in surprise before putting nervous smiles on their faces.

"Oh, hi…Dani," Lin said, adverting her eyes a little. Danielle raised an eyebrow at the way she said her name, and looked over to Jordan who looked uncomfortable.

"Are you guys ok?"

"Um, yeah. Yeah, we're fine," Lin said, but Danielle could tell she was lying.

"Listen, I gotta go. I gotta meet up with…Melvin! Yeah, he's gonna help me with my computer homework, so, I'll be seeing ya!" Jordan said quickly as he ran off. Lin looked after him with a look of hatred before turning back to Danielle with the same tensely forced smile.

"Ok, Lindsey, what's going on? What's up with you guys?"

"I, uh-um-have to-" she stammered.

"Lindsey! What's going on!?" Danielle nearly shouted. "Ever since I got here, everyone's been looking at me weird, and then you and Jordan are clearly hiding something and trying to avoid me. Please," she said as a bit of sorrow came into her voice, "just tell me what's going on."

"Dani, I-" Lin said before being interrupted.

"It's obvious that she doesn't want to hang out with a freak like you."

Danielle whipped around and growled as her blood began to boil.

"Turner! I should have known you had something to do with all this. It's got your cheap perfume all over it!"

Tammy only smiled as Timmy and the rest of the popular group walked up to support her.

"Careful there, Fido. Or did your creator put a little dog whose bark is worse than her bite inside you too?" she said, gaining a laugh from the group.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Danielle said as her voice grew dangerously low.

"I'm talking about the fact that everyone here now knows your secret. **I **know your secret, you freak," she said as all the humor left her face and voice.

"What secret?"

"That you are nothing more than a disgusting, abomination. You probably shouldn't even exist because you are nothing more than a clone."

Danielle's face changed from anger to shock as her blood ran cold and her face became extremely pale. As her mind tried to comprehend something, anything, that she could say or even to try to deny it, they only thing Danielle could think was that her life was now completely over. Everything was now over for her, and this time, not even her parents could help her.

To Be Continued…

**Ok, so big drama coming to the story now. Things are gonna change big time and they're going to get more difficult for everyone. Now, I wanna see, what do you guys think Danielle's reaction to this will be? Let me know in your review!**


	20. Chapter 20: Class Clone

Chapter 20: Class Clone

As Danielle stood in the middle of the hallway, imagining her life beginning to crumble into ruins, Lin shook her shoulders in an attempt to bring the girl out of her trance and back into reality. All the while, the A-Listers laughed at the stunned girl, relishing in the feeling of once again being on top and at the center of attention, but no one more so then Tammy. Finally, Danielle's mind was able to reconnect to her body enough to ask a single question.

"How…" she whispered in a low voice.

"Dani?" Lin said as she was pushed lightly out of the way as Danielle strode up to Tammy, anger beginning to flare up.

"How! How do you know that!?" She demanded in a loud voice.

"You know, it's funny the things you find when you leave important papers lying around in ratty old backpacks," Tammy said as she took the paper out of her pocket and thrust it into Danielle's chest with a shove. Danielle stumbled a bit, but stayed on her feet. As she looked at the paper, there was no doubt that in her mind that it was indeed the same paper that belonged to her and that she had shown her parents before.

"You bitch," Danielle said in a low, strained voice before her anger exploded. "You heartless bitch! Why would you do something like this!? Do you even understand what you've done!?"

"Of course I do. Because nobody messes with me. I'm queen bee, and will do whatever I want and need to do to be sure it stays that way."

That was the last straw for Danielle. Before anyone could even blink, the situation had turned dangerous. With anger and adrenaline pulsing through her ectoplasm infused veins, Danielle felt any restraint she had left snap as she launched herself at the blonde. No one even realized she had moved until the sound of a crash and a strangled cry echoed down the hall, catching the attention of every student around. Lin looked toward the lockers and gave a surprised yelp at the scene. There, against the now dented gray of the school lockers, were Danielle and Tammy. Everyone stared on in horror as they watched Tammy practically claw at Danielle's hands as they closed around her windpipe, but her efforts were completely wasted on the super powered girl. As her eyes glowed green in fury, many of the students got scared and started to yell things out.

"Oh my god!"

"Tammy's face is turning blue!"

"Danielle's going to kill her!"

"She's lost her mind!"

"Timmy, do something!" Tootie yelled as she shook his arm in urgency. With a quick shake of his head, the male twin dashed across the hallway to the locker, and grabbed his sister's attacker, throwing her into a headlock. The sudden jerking of her head backwards with a pair of arms around her neck was enough to distract Danielle to release the now petrified Tammy, but this did not stop her from growling in anger at him.

"You better keep your freaky hands off my sister!" Timmy yelled as he tightened his grip on her. Danielle's body began to move as her reflexes caused her to grab his forearm that was around her neck, and lifted it over her head in such a swift and fast motion. Timmy didn't even realize she was out of his hold until he felt a sharp pain in his arm as she twisted it behind his back. Timmy let out a pain filled scream at the added pressure, but before he could call for help, Danielle gave him a swift kick to the back, sending him face first into a closed locker. As soon as his head come into contact with the hard metal, the jock fell unconscious, slumping over in a heap on the floor. Everyone was shocked to see one of their star players and most popular jock of the school, taken down so easily by a girl so small.

"She knocked out Timmy!"

"She's going to kill us all!"

Many of the students began to panic until they saw more players from the football team rush her in an attempt to get back at her for hurting their teammate.

"Get her!" One of them yelled.

As they all rushed forward, Lin backed away before breaking out into a sprint toward the teacher's lounge. As she pushed the door open forcefully, many of the teachers looked on at her in surprise, including her mother.

"Lindsey, what is the matter with you?" her mother scolded. "You know-"

"You have to come quick!" Lin shouted as the sounds of fighting and a feminine scream travelled down the hall. "Danielle's in the middle of a fight with the football players!"

At the mention of her student, Mrs. Otree placed her coffee mug down and ran out the door as fast as she could with Lin right behind her.

Danielle was beginning to get even more aggravated, as her eyes were now a darker shade of their usual green, because the jocks wouldn't stay down. Whenever she she'd hit one, another would come at her while the first one was getting back up. Finally becoming fed up with this, she grabbed one and threw him a few feet down the hallway where he landed on his back. As he crashed on the ground, all the air flew out of his body, leaving him to lay there to recover. The remaining members took this as their chance, and jumped her all at once, each grabbing a part of her. Two grabbed her legs, another two grabbed her arms, and the last put her into a headlock similar to the one she had been in minutes before. It took all of their strength, but they were able to hold her long enough for the last one, who was now back up from being thrown, to run up and give a quick punch to the face.

As Mrs. Otree and Lin came down the hall, they gasped at the site of the young girl as she struggled against the might of the athletes, and nearly screamed at them to let her go, but never got the chance as Danielle let out what could only be called a war cry. Everyone cringed as they were blinded by a white light that filled the hallway. As the light faded, all of the football players blinked in confusion as their captive was no longer there.

"Where did-" but he never got to finish as he was soon sent flying into a locker where he fell over, finally down for the count from the force of the impact. As the others went to check up on him, two of them felt a strange cold feeling as it travelled down their spines, and they too fell over, unconscious. The last three looked on in fear and confusion, looking for the source of the attacks. A sound caught their attention as the three turned around. Danielle faded back into site and brought both her arms out, slamming them against the neck of two of them before slamming them into the ground. As she stood, she turned around, causing the last one to back up and run away in fear down the hall. As he ran, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach as a second Danielle came into existence and sent him flying with a kick. As the final member came to a skidded halt at her feet, Danielle turned toward the entrance of the school to see a crying Tammy as her fear took over and she ran out the door.

"Where do you think you're going!?" The two Danielle's yelled in unison before flying toward her and merging back into one. As Danielle phased through the doors, Lin felt herself being jerked backwards and turned to see her mother.

"Lindsey, listen to me very carefully. I need you to go to the office and tell them to call Casper High and ask for Danny Fenton, and tell them that it's an emergency."

"Ok, Mom," she said as she took off for the office while her mother headed toward the doors with a crowd of students.

Down at Casper High, Danny had just finished grabbing his English book when an announcement came over the loud speaker.

"Will Daniel and Jasmine Fenton, Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley please report to the principal's office," the secretary said. Turning to his two friends, who were just as confused as him, Danny nodded and the three made their way to the office where they met up with Jazz who was just as confused as they were.

"Any idea to what this is about, Jazz?" Danny asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea, but ten to one says it's something ghost related," she said.

"Good, you're all here," Principal Ishiyama said as she entered the office.

"Principal Ishiyama, what's going on?" Sam asked.

"We just got a call from Casper Middle. They didn't go into details on what happening over there, but they mentioned a Danielle Fenton."

"Danielle!" the teens all said in unison. Turning to look at each other, they all nodded, agreeing on the plan.

"Principal Ishiyama, we're going to need to be excused from-"

"Of course, Danny. I've already had arrangements made for the four of you to make up the work later. But for now, I believe you all have a job to do?" she said with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

Danny grinned and nodded before the four ran out of the office and toward the exit of the school.

"We'll meet you guys there," Danny said as he and Sam ran behind a group of trees to transform. "I'm going ghost!"

"Phantom fauna!" Sam said, yelling her own battle cry. After the two bright flashes of light faded, Danny Phantom and Sam Flora floated up into the air before taking off at full speed toward the Middle school.

Tammy had barely made it out the front doors when Danielle came charging outside and began her search for the terrified girl. Tammy had barely enough time to hide behind a tree before the young Phantom proceeded to scan the outer school grounds. Sliding to the ground, Tammy could feel tears running down her face as she struggled to breathe with her now bruised windpipe, and couldn't help the fear pulsing through her as she thought that this was how she was going to die.

"Where are you, coward!" Danielle shouted making Tammy involuntarily cringed at the ferocity in her voice. "You're tough when you think you can get your way, but now you're hiding! Where's all that cockiness you had before!?"

As the sea of students poured out into the yard, Tootie, Chester and AJ pushed their way to the front and began looking for any sign of their friend. As Tootie spotted her, leaning against a tree, she began to scream a warning while running toward her.

"Tammy, run! Before she finds you!"

If Tammy could talk, she would curse at Tootie and tell her that she was a moron because she just gave her away. Stumbling to her feet, Tammy pushed herself up and began to run away, but stopped as a low whistling sound passed her in the form of a small green ball that exploded as it made contact with the ground. Tammy looked up in horror as Danielle hovered above her, hand still smoking green vapors. Not wasting a minute, Danielle focused her energy, igniting her hand once more as she took aim.

"I hope this was all worth it, Turner," Danielle said, putting all her fury into her attack. "Because your days of ruining people's lives are over." And with that, Danielle pulled back, and threw the ecto-disk at her target.

As the disk flew toward her, Tammy lost all hope, and slid onto her knees, staring at the small green projectile with tear filled eyes as it came closer to her by the second, knowing that even as small as it was, it had more than enough power to wipe her clean off the Earth. People began to shout for her to move and run away, but it all fell on deaf ears as the energy closed in on her. Everyone watched in horror as the disk exploded, engulfing Tammy in green smoke, and remained speechless in shock. As the smoke began to clear, Tammy opened her eyes, surprised to feel no pain, and wondering if she had been completely destroyed, only to see that she was surrounded by a glowing green dome.

"You ok?"

Tammy looked up in surprise to see that the dome had been created by Danny Phantom as he stood in front of her, hands held high as the energy spread from his hands. All the students on the sidelines cheered, while Mrs. Otree breathed a sigh of relief, happy to see that she was still alive. Tammy's face scrunched up as she began to cry tears of joy that she had actually been spared.

"Th-tha-nk yo-u" she croaked out as best she could. Danny looked at her in surprise as he examined the red finger marks around her neck. Danielle growled in anger that her attack had been stopped, by her own father no less, and prepared to continue her attack, only to feel something wrap around her. Danielle yelped in surprise as a thin vine wrapped itself around her and yanked her backwards.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Sam yelled as she pulled her daughter back with her Vine Whip.

Danny dropped his hands, allowing the shield to fade, and was about to ask what happened to Tammy, when a loud scream caught his attention. Looking up, he quickly spotted Danielle as she struggled to free herself from her mother's weapon.

"Danny!"

Turning his head again, he was surprised to spot his old teacher as she ran over to them.

"Mrs. Otree," he said as she knelt next to Tammy and began to examine the marks on her neck. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yes, we're all fine. Well, most of us," she said, looking up at Danielle.

"Yeah, I don't know what's gotten into her. She was fine this morning. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I wish I could, but I don't know all the detail myself. By the time I got around, things had gotten out of control."

"I see," he said, looking up at Danielle. "Don't worry; I'll take care of this." Danny quickly took to the air and went straight up to Danielle and Sam, grabbing Danielle's shoulders and holding her against him while trying to avoid the thorns of Sam's whip. "You ok, Sam?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but she won't stop struggling," she said. Danny nodded his head, and, calling upon his ice powers, covered Sam's vines in thick ice to reinforce them. "Thanks. Now," she said as she glared at Danielle who glared back at her. "Like I was saying, what the hell do you think you're doing, Danielle!?"

"Let me go!" Danielle screamed.

"Why are you attacking her!?"

"Because that bitch needs to be taught a lesson!"

Sam and Danny were taken back by her language, though it didn't last long as Sam's hand flew across her daughter's face, shocking the young girl. Danielle stared at her mother, her anger only slightly quelled as she panted and tried to gain some control of herself in the presence of her parents, while Sam's only seemed to flare.

"That is enough, Danielle Lilith! I don't know what has gotten into you, but I will not tolerate this behavior anymore!" Sam yelled as she brought her face close to Danielle's.

"How can you side with them!? With her!?" Danielle screamed as the stinging on her face began to actually hurt and her fury at the situation continued building.

"We aren't siding with anyone, Danielle! We don't even know what happened! But what we do know is that you were attacking an innocent person, and that you've clearly lost your mind!" Danny said.

"I thought you loved me!"

"We do, but that doesn't mean that we can just sit by while you destroy the city and attack people!" Sam said with one hand on her hip while the other pointing a finger at Danielle. Danielle growled and unleashed a frustrated scream as she thrashed about in Danny's grip. As her thrashing began to get out of control, she accidently hit Danny in the stomach, the force of the hit causing him to release her. Without a moment's pause, Danielle turned and headed straight for Tammy, who was now surrounded by students. As she got closer, the kids all began to scream in fear of her, except Tammy who opened her mouth to scream, but made no sound. Just as Danielle was upon her, she found herself engulfed in a familiar blue light before being forcibly pulled backwards until she felt herself being crammed into tight space, surrounded by darkness.

Danny could feel himself shaking with both fury and disgust as he tried to hold himself together, and capped his thermos. Never in his life, would he have thought he would have to use it on his own daughter. Not even as a joke or on accident, but whatever was wrong with her, this was neither the place nor the time for him to deal with her. No, now was the time for him to do some collateral damage on her mishap. Turning toward Sam, he could see by the look and the tears in her eyes that she wasn't doing any better than he was.

"Sam-"

"Why. Just…why?" she asked in despair. "Where did she go? That sweet, innocent little girl. Where did we go wrong? How could this have happened?"

"I know, Sam. I know. We're going to figure this all out and we're going to get Danielle back to normal. I promise," Danny said as he hugged her tightly and handed over the Thermos. "Take her back home, and put her into the containment unit. I'll deal with her when I get there, but see if you can get any info from her. I'll fix things here. "

Sam nodded her head in understanding. "I'll call Jazz and Tucker on my way home. Good luck."

"You too," he said, kissing her and watching her fly off. Danny turned back to the ground and floated down, landing just outside the crowd. All of the spectators looked at him in both fear and wonder as he walked over to Mrs. Otree and allowed him passage.

"Is everyone ok?" Danny asked.

"Yes, we're all fine. Just a little shook up," she said.

"I'm really sorry about Danielle, Mrs. Otree. I swear, I don't know what's gotten into her, but what I do know, is she's going to be in serious trouble when I get home."

"It's alright, Danny. I'm sure Danielle's not the only person to blame for this," she said, eyeballing Tammy who was massaging her throat and looking away in embarrassment from the two. "I'm sure that whatever the reason she was after Miss Truner, she was provoked."

"She was," Lin said as she stepped forward. "I was there when it happened. Tammy had shoved Danielle and was taunting her about something." Lin purposely withheld what it was that Tammy had said for fear that Danny may have had a similar reaction as Danielle. "Then when Danielle asked her why she had caused everyone to shun her, Tammy said she did it because she didn't like the way Danielle didn't bow down to her like everyone else here did, and set out to bring Danielle down because she wanted to be on top again. It's what she does."

"Thanks for the info, but regardless, there is no reason she should have done any of this. She knows better than to use her powers like that, especially for revenge on someone," Danny said.

"But she wasn't. She didn't change until she was being ganged up on by the football team. I swear, it was self-defense."

"Understood. Again, sorry about all this. I promise, this will be dealt with," Danny said. As he began to ascend into the air, he took off full speed for home, determination on his face. "I'm don't know what the hell is going one, but I'm gonna find out."


	21. Chapter 21: Coming to Terms

Chapter 21: Coming to Terms

Danny phased through the roof and into his living room where his family waited for his arrival. Everyone turned to him, a look of unease on their faces, especially Sam's.

"Where is she?" Danny asked as he tried to keep his voice even and anger under control. A loud, muffled scream and the sound of constant pounding caught his attention as it bounced off the sound proof walls of the lab. Danny narrowed his eyes as he turned and headed straight for the stairs to the basement, preparing himself to handle his daughter, but stopped as Sam grabbed his arm, a look of sympathy on her face.

"Danny, wait," she said. "Before you go down there, you should know something." Sam took a deep breath before looking at him in both sorrow and worry. "They know."

"Who knows what, Sam?"

"The kids. All of them, at her school; they know. About her…they know that Danielle is a clone."

All the anger instantly left Danny's body as he stared, wide-eyed, at Sam while trying to comprehend what exactly he had just been told.

"What?"

"When…I brought her home and let her out of the Fenton Thermos, I put her in the containment unit downstairs. The whole time, she kept screaming and yelling that it wasn't fair. I was going to tell her that considering how she was acting, that it was fair, but she kept saying that her life was over. When I asked her what she was talking about, she screamed at me "THAT BLONDE BITCH TOLD EVERYONE I WAS A CLONE!" and I was so stunned, I didn't even realize that she swore at me again."

"I…I can't…" Danny struggled as he tried to focus. "No wonder she freaked out. She's gotta be scared. Now that everyone knows her secret-"

"Everything she hoped for is gone. What are we going to do, Danny?"

"I…I don't know, Sam. To be honest, I had never thought about what to do if her secret got out."

"Well we have to do something," Jazz said as she looked toward the basement with a look of hurt and sympathy. "I mean listen to her down there; she devastated."

"Or crazy," Tucker mumbled, receiving a smack to the back of the head from the older girl. "What? I'm just saying that devastated people don't curse like they just got of a sailor ship."

"I guess for now, we deal with her and see if we can't fix this. But it's gonna be hard with the whole school thing, especially with how many people she attacked," Danny said, ignoring his friend's comment. "We'll just have to take it one thing at a time, and-" Danny stopped as the sound of the ringing telephone surprised them all.

"I'll get it," Maddie said. Everyone was silent as she conversed with whoever was on the other side of the conversation. At the sound of the phone being returned to its hook after only about a minute, and the return of his mother with a look that clearly said something was wrong, Danny could feel his anxiety escalate.

"Who was it, Mom?"

"It was the principal of Danielle's school. He wants to have a parent-teacher conference with us and her teacher tomorrow to discuss if Danielle should be allowed to continue to go to school there," she said.

"What!? That's absurd!" Jazz yelled. "I mean, sure she went a little overboard, but-"

"No. It was more than that, Jazz," Danny said. "That girl Danielle was attacking….she had bruises on her neck. Fresh, bruises. And when she thanked me for saving her, she could barely speak. She was so scared and hurt...and Danielle wanted to kill her; I don't even want to think about what would have happened if Sam and I had shown up even a second later, that's how close it was. Not to mention she apparently beat up some of the football team in self-defense. No; this is worse than we thought."

"This isn't looking good, Danny," his mother said as Jack came and stood beside her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I know, Mom. Tomorrow, Sam and I will have to go over there with you and try to talk them down; though I don't really know how much good it'll do us."

"We will?" Sam asked in confusion.

"You will?" Everyone else asked in unison.

Danny nodded. "I know you guys are registered as her legal guardians, but we're her biological parents, so this is our problem. Plus, maybe we'll be able to explain why she did what she did better."

"Well if we're going to start anywhere, I guess with her is as good a place as any," Sam said. Danny nodded and the two turned toward the basement, leading the way for the rest of the group. As they walked into the underground fortress that was the Fenton family's lab, Danny stared at Danielle as she glared at them all, hands still bound behind her in ice as she continued to pant in exhaustion. Danny took notice of a few dents in the containment unit from Danielle's constant attacks as he and Sam strode forward and stopped in front of the glass.

"Danielle-"

"Shut up! This is all your fault!" she yelled, though her voice was muffled behind the thick glass.

"Danielle, I know you're frustrated, but you need to calm down," Danny said. "I know it seems like everything is going to hell right now, but I promise you, it will be ok." Danny fell to his knees, putting himself on the same level as her, and placed his hand on the glass as he gazed into her eyes, the eyes that they shared, and pleaded for her to understand, to calm down and go back to being the sweet little girl she really was. "Please, Ellie. I want my little girl back. I know you're hurting, but, I promise you it will be alright."

As Danielle looked into her father's eyes, followed by her mothers and then the rest of her family, all the pressure and the anger that had consumed her became too much, and the mental dam that had formed and had blocked her judgment broke away, allowing her to finally release it all and cry. As the tears flowed and her body shook with her sobs, Danielle fell onto her knees as her voice echoed off the walls of her prison. Sam deactivated the lock on the door, allowing her and Danny entrance. Gently, Sam picked her up and cradled her daughter as tears fell from her own eyes silently. Danny kneeled next to them on the floor as Danielle cried into Sam's shoulder and transformed back into her human form. The three sat like that for well over an hour, crying and comforting each other.

Once they were all cried out, Danielle took a hot shower to try to make herself feel better before going to her room and taking a nap. No one bothered her for the rest of the day, only notifying her when a meal was ready, but with all of the things that had happened to her that day, no one was surprised or could blame her when she didn't join them to eat. Danny and Sam, though worried about her, spent their night trying to figure out a way to put all of this to rest, but would periodically check on Danielle, who had fallen asleep long before anyone else had.

The next morning, Danny and Sam were surprised, though beyond relieved to find Danielle sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. Though based on the fact she was still in her pajamas and how disheveled her already naturally messy hair was, they knew she had no plans of going anywhere, especially not with them to the school. As they, Jack and Maddie made their way down the halls of the middle school, Danny could feel himself getting annoyed by the way many of the students talked about Danielle.

"I can't believe what Danielle did to Timmy and Tammy!" one boy said.

"I heard she got grounded and banished to the ghost world for a thousand years as punishment!" Another said.

"She's such a freak. What kind of act was she trying to pull, acting like a _real _person," a girl said.

"I know, right? I mean, doesn't she know clones are just big copycats?" her friend said, both laughing in a snobbish manner.

"My god," Maddie said in disgust. "These kids are horrible. No wonder Danielle was so upset."

"I know, and it only gets worse. She's gonna have the same classmates until she graduates high school. I always hoped her time in school would be better than ours, but with this, I don't think that's possible," Danny replied with a shake of his head. As they neared the office, Danny noticed a brown haired jock with a pink hat on as he stood by his locker, surrounded by his friends, a big smile on his face as more and more people asked if his arm was ok as it hung in a sling. The boy turned, and his face instantly drained of all color as he locked eyes with Danny, who couldn't help but glare at the boy, not only because he was clearly a football player, but because he bore a huge resemblance to Tammy, which, Danny figured, meant that they had to be related. Danny said nothing as he continued his walk into the office where they were lead into the principal's office. Inside, Danny found his former teacher, Mrs. Linda Otree, as well as her daughter, Lin, standing to the side near the principal.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, so good to see you," the man said before looking at Danny and Sam in surprise. "Daniel, Samantha? My, this is a surprise."

"Principal Persir. So nice to see you again," Maddie said, trying to hold back the irritation in her voice as she recalled the last time she had actually had to talk to the man when Danny was being bullied when he went to the school.

"Yes, though I wish it were under better circumstances," he said as he adjusted the square glasses on his chubby face.

"As do we."

"Principal Persir, I'd like to personally apologize for Danielle's actions yesterday," Danny said.

"As do I," Sam said. "And though I wish she were here to explain what happened herself and tell her side of the story, she's not feeling well and decided to stay home today."

"Well, as nice as that is, I don't believe that this really involves the two of you," he said.

"Actually sir, it does," Sam said as she held back her annoyance. She was never too fond of her middle school principal, and was more than glad to think she would never have to see him again after they had graduated. So to be standing before him right now was taking all of her maternal instincts to keep her mind focused on the fact that if she did anything, it could harshly affect Danielle's future.

"You see, sir, well…" Danny hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "As I'm sure you've heard, Danielle isn't like normal kids."

"Yes, she is very different," he nodded in agreement. "Aside from her condition, she was always a bright student, which is why I do not understand where her outburst came from."

"Condition?" Sam said, her anger flaring. "Her powers are not some type of disease. They are a part of her, and have been since the day she was born, and they make her special. It's not like she's diagnosed with some type of mental disorder. And I'm sure if you listened to some of the things your students were saying about her, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out." Danny put a hand on Sam's shoulder as he tried to keep her calm, though his feelings were the exact same as hers.

"Children gossip and say absurd things all the time, Samantha. I'm sure whatever it is they're saying it's nothing."

"It's not nothing, Principal Persir," Maddie said. "Those kids are making fun of her because of her differences."

"Again, Mrs. Fenton, children do these things all the time. Why is Danielle's case any different? Because of these special abilities she has?"

"No, sir. It's not just her powers that make her special, it's how she got them," Danny said. "Danielle is not my cousin; she's a clone, created using mine and Sam's DNA by the man who held the world hostage, Vlad Plasmius, making her our biological daughter."

"Excuse me?" Principal Persir asked in disbelief.

Linda Otree gasped in shock at the revelation that one of her best and favorite student was a clone, a copy, of two of her former ones.

"Sam, that other ghost…that was you?" she asked before looking at Lin who refused to look anywhere but the floor, a look of guilt written all over her face. "Lindsey, did you know about this? About Danielle?"

"Yes," Lin said in a guilty, quiet voice. "Everyone knows. I don't know exactly how, but Tammy had found out when she had stolen a piece of paper from Danielle, and had sent out messages and was going around school, telling everyone. She spread the rumor which made everyone turn on Danielle."

"It must have been when she came to our house a couple of days ago," Danny said, looking at the principal. "Tammy had come over to work on a project for school with Danielle, and left in a hurry. She must have found the paper and stolen it, probably thinking it was better to leave as quickly as possible."

"Lindsey, does Miss Turner still have possession of this document?" Persir asked, still not completely believing what he was being told. Lin shook her head no.

"When she started taunting Danielle, who got really quiet, she shoved it into her hands. Danielle crumpled it up when she starting shaking."

"Well," he said as he looked at the Fentons. "I'm going to have to say, it is hard to believe such a story without any proof."

"Actually, we do have proof," Sam said as she pulled out a pile of papers in a manila folder. "These are official documents that I have acquired from a physician hired by my grandmother, who took samples from Danny, Danielle and I to compare and use in case of an emergency. As you can see, her DNA matches both mine and Danny's, proving she is our daughter."

Principal Persir took the folder and began to scan over the print on them, stroking his full white beard. Once he had finished reading, he placed them on his desk.

"Very well. I believe you. However, that does not excuse her for her outburst yesterday."

"Excuse me?" Sam scoffed. "Principal Persir, do you even know _exactly_ what happened? Because if you did, I'm pretty sure, you'd agree with us that she is not at fault."

"From what I have been told, Danielle attacked Tamantha after a small disagreement."

"That's not true!" Lin said, finally looking up from the ground. "Tammy started all of this because she was jealous that Danielle was more popular than her and because Danielle stood up to her instead of being a follower like everyone else. Tammy's the one who spread the rumor and shoved Danielle first. It's not fair that Danielle should get in trouble just because she's stronger then Tammy, while Tammy does things like this on a daily basis."

"I have to agree with Lindsey," Linda said. "I've caught many of our athletes bullying other students that have gone unpunished."

"Not to mention that the last time my husband and I were in your official, Principal Persir, was because Danny had been standing up for one of his friends to a football player who had hit him first," Maddie said as she crossed her arms. "As I recall, Danny got detention while Dash Baxter got to play in the playoff games."

"Although that may be true, let us not forget that she attacked and injured many of our star players," he said.

"After they all attacked her first," Lin said. "Timmy jumped her from behind and the others ganged up on her. She was outnumbered, 7 to 1, and only fought them in self-defense."

Principal Persir once again began to stroke his beard, an action he only did when he was deep in thought. So far, everyone did seem to have valid points, but as a principal he was in charge not only of educating students, but protecting them, meaning that even if he seemed like the bad guy, he had to do everything possible to ensure their safety. He had to look at every possible thing that could and would come up.

"Alright, Daniel, I will give you that she may not have been completely at fault for her actions. However, she is still a danger to our students."

"What!? She is not a danger to anyone!" Danny exclaimed as he could feel his anger boiling over. Sam, who stood next to him, could feel her powers blazing as her eyes turned green and the plant in the corner started to glow a faint green, though no one seemed to notice. "She's been here long enough and for plenty of enough time, and has proven that she's not only not a danger to anyone, she also protected the school!"

"Yes, and we are appreciative of it-"

"Really? Because it's kinda hard to tell," Sam spat.

"However, in light of this situation, as head administrator of this school, I have to do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of my students, and will take any necessary measures to protect them all. Even Danielle."

"Principal Persir, what exactly are you trying to say?" Linda asked.

"I will compromise with all; I will allow Danielle to return to this school on the condition that you have her abilities removed."

"EXCUSE ME!?" Sam yelled. That was the last straw for her as the plant was now shining in ghostly energy, coming to life and roaring at the man, who was surprised at not only her anger, but the fact that none of the Fentons even seemed fazed that there was a living ghost plant behind them. Lin grabbed her mother in shock as Sam slammed her fist on the desk in anger, denting it as she too glowed a bright green color. "YOU HAVE LOST YOUR MIND!" Danny grabbed her around her shoulders, and pulled her away from the startled man.

"Sam-Sammy, listen to me," he said, forcing her to look at him as he held her face with his hands. "Calm down. I need you to be level headed right now."

"But didn't you hear-"

"I know, it's ridiculous and complete garbage, but we have to keep calm and get this settled for Danielle. Remember, this is all for her. Do it for Ellie," he said, his voice strained as his eyes too glowed an angry electric green. Danny was beginning to believe that he was saying all that more for himself then he was for her because he was just about at his limit with the man. As Sam's body shook, she brought her hands up and placed them over Danny's as she nodded stiffly, taking deep breaths. Slowly, her aura began to withdraw until it had dissipated and the plant was once again lifeless. The room was silent as the tension slowly evaporated, though Sam's outburst definitely did not help convince the principal that Danielle was no danger. If her mother acted this way, who's to say she wouldn't as well?

"Principal Persir, please, tell me you are not serious about that," Linda said as she found her voice and looked at him is disbelief. "I have seen Danielle, and as her teacher, I can assure you that she is not a danger to any person, and to even suggest such an extreme measure is nothing short of unethical."

"I understand, Linda, however-"

"No, you don't understand," Danny said as she stood in front of the desk. Sam had retreated behind him, and was currently being held by Maddie, both glaring at the principal with hatred. "This isn't just something like turning off a cellphone or curing the flu. This is a part of who we are. It's like a camel's hump or an elephant's trunk. Danielle's already suffered enough in her life, more than any of those kids could understand or will ever have to go through. She's struggled with keeping herself alive on the streets, of having her heartbroken and being betrayed by someone who was supposed to love and protect her, she's had to experience death, more than once, and she only survived all of that because of her powers, powers that she was born with. That's what makes her different then Sam and me; she's had them since she came into this world, we gained ours through certain incidents. To take them away from her, would be like taking a part of her soul or taking away her hands. It would be taking away her freedom!"

"Not to mention all the types of dangers she would be in," Sam growled. "You think those kids out there are just going to forget what she did? They would gang up on her and attack her mercilessly. They would do cruel things to her, and there would be no way for her to defend herself. And what about if a ghost attacks? With the number of ghost in this town and the number of enemies that we have, she would be a sitting duck. Do you think that any one of them would hesitate to attack and kill her? You think that they would think twice about coming here, and rampaging through the school, killing everyone of these kids, just to get to her? And do you know what would happen? Danielle would stand and fight, even without her powers, and she would die." Sam paused as her eyes began to water. "She would fight with every last breath in her body to protect people who hate and ridicule her, because that's what she does. And when it was all said and done, I guarantee not a single person out there would be appreciative of her or her bravery, and if that happens, her blood, MY DAUGHTER'S BLOOD, would be on your hands!"

Principal Persir stayed quiet throughout the entirety of both speeches, though his expression never changed. He understood, completely, what the two were telling him, but he also knew that there really was nothing he could do. His hands were tied, and there was never an easy way to make such an important decision such as this, but such was the responsibility of the principal.

"I'm sorry, but that is my decision. It really is bad that you feel that way, but if that is your choice, then I believe that we have nothing more to discuss here," said, preparing to dismiss them.

"Wait!" Danny said as he clenched his fists and closed his eyes tight. "We will NOT and can NOT get rid of her powers, but…what if we can prevent her from being able to use them?"

"Danny!? Are you insane!?" Sam said in disbelief. "What are you-"

"Sam," he said, looking her in the eye, silencing her. "I'm sorry. I should have told you about this earlier, but I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this." He looked behind her to Maddie who had a look of uncertainty on her face. "Ok, Mom. Show him."

"Are you sure about this, Danny?" She asked cautiously. Danny nodded his head and Maddie could only sigh as she opened a pocket on her utility belt, pulling out a silver and green belt with a key slot on the front. Jack and Sam could only gasp as they looked at Danny who was now focusing on the principal. "This, Principal Persir, is a special device that my husband and I created called the Specter Deflector."

"I'm not sure I follow. What does it do?"

"When wore, it prevents ghosts from being able to touch the wearer by sending out a painful pulse of energy upon contact. It also greatly limits a human-ghost hybrid's powers while worn."

"Are you suggesting we require our students to wear these belts?"

"No," Danny said as two white rings appeared around his body, allowing him to transform. Principal Persir jumped a little in surprise and nervousness. "What I'm suggesting is that in exchange for us having Danielle wear one of them to school, you allow her to go back to class with no repercussions aside from the usual punishment for fighting in school."

"I see. That is a very strange proposal, Daniel. But how can we be sure this device really works?" he asked. Danny turned to his mother, prepping himself for what he knew was going to be a painful demonstration.

"Danny, don't!" Sam said.

"It's ok, Sam. It's all for Danielle," he said. Maddie looked on, worried, as she locked the belt around her waist, but complied with her son's wishes. Sam looked away, not wanting to watch the pain she knew Danny was about to inflict on himself while Jack prayed that Danny knew what he was getting himself into and would be ok. Taking one last breath, Danny raised his hand and touched his mother's outstretched one. The second the two made contact, green electricity ran through his body, pain surfacing over every part of him as his muscles began to lock up and spasm. Danny let out a loud cry of pain as he tried his hardest to endure it for as long as possible. Lin grabbed onto her mother once more, and buried her face in her side as she could not watch the hero hurt himself, but also had images of Danielle suffering the same fate running through her mind. Linda covered her mouth in horror as she watched her former student suffer, all for the sake of proving a point to the principal. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to everyone there, but was no more than thirty seconds, Danny let go and fell onto his hands and knees in pain. As he panted shallow breaths, the scent of electricity hung in the air. Sam knelt down next to him, and carefully brought him into her embrace, being cautious of the pain that was still going through his muscles.

"As you can see, Principal Persir, it is very effective and is capable of incapacitating even a ghost that is without a doubt stronger then Danielle," Maddie said as she glared at the man and unlocked the belt from herself. Danny looked up at the man, transforming himself back to normal, and, with the helpful support of Sam, stood to his feet.

"Henry, you cannot seriously be considering forcing a child to wear something like that!" Linda said in disbelief. "I mean, look at what it did to poor Danny! Danielle wouldn't be able to handle something as intense as that."

"We will need to make adjustments to prevent it from harming her in human form," Maddie said, though she was beyond grateful that Linda was agreeing with them.

Principal Persir looked at the faces of everyone in the room, but mostly focused on Danny who tried to ignore the pain in his body and stared the older man down.

"Alright, Daniel, Samantha. I shall agree to your terms. Danielle may return to school in two weeks following her suspension so long as she wears the belt everyday for the rest of her stay here."

"Understood. Thank you," Danny said.

"But what about if a ghost attacks?" Lin asked quietly. "If she can't use her powers, what are we going to do?"

"She's right. So long as she's wearing that belt, she's about as useful against a ghost as throwing rocks," Sam said with a glare. "If she tries to transform the belt will respond to her ecto-energy and she'll get hurt. Even as fast as Danny and I are, we can only get here so fast depending on when we can even find out what's going on and if we're not being held up ourselves. The only other option would be to allow her to carry the key to the belt with her."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot put that kind of responsibility into the hands of a child," he said with a shake of his head.

"Child or not, she's more mature and responsible then any of the kids in this school!"

"Samantha-"

"I'll do it," Linda said.

"Linda?" He questioned skeptically.

"Think about it, Henry. I'm her teacher and have her for the entire day other then gym. Logically, I'm best to hold on to it because if something were to happen, it will be somewhere where she's around me. And unlike some, I won't hesitate to help a student of mine when she really needs it because I'm worried about the repercussions of what might happen if I do."

Principal Persir let out a sigh as he leaned back into his seat. As much as he hated to admit it, even he knew when he was beat, and he was indeed beaten.

"Alright. It is decided. Mrs. Otree shall be put in charge of the key to Danielle's belt and she will only be allowed access to her powers in an emergency," he declared.

"Agreed," Danny said. With their business handled, he and his family departed, a slight sense of guilt over a victory won with a heavy sacrifice: Danielle's freedom.

**Ok, before you go to review, I have to tell you guys somethings first. First off, I've updated my profile a bit. On there is a list of all the DP stories I plan to do, not just in this series, but others as well. In the list, you will find summaries of all the stories, and the titles of all the stories, including the sequels. If you'd like to know more about the upcoming sequels, they are there and you can ask me questions. The next thing is there is a new Danny and Dani story I have started called "Your Life is Mine!" that I'd really appreciate more people to read because I believe that it is good and if you enjoy my writing, you will enjoy this. I should also point out that I will NOT be updating as often as I have been, it's just I've been in a really creative mood lately, and I was able to find time to squeeze in some writing. But like I was saying….GO READ IT NOW! **


	22. Chapter 22: Picking Up on Restraints

Chapter 22: Picking Up on Restraints

The last two weeks had been the worst in Danny and Sam's career as parents, as short as it was. To no one's surprise, word got out fast that the ghost protector, Danny Phantom, secretly had a daughter, and many people were beyond confused as to how this had happened, but most of all, the other students of Casper High. Having spent every school year with Danny since they were kids, many of them wondered how they could have missed such a thing in his life, though when they thought about it, they had completely missed the fact that he was a superhero for a long time. This, however, did not stop them from hassling Danny, as well as the rest of Team Phantom, for the information. Every day was a struggle for the group, especially Danny and Sam, as they walked the halls of the school. Many people would give the two weird looks and would whisper about them as they walked by. Of course they didn't know the two hybrids had enhanced hearing, but even if they had, that would have done nothing to help their moods.

Sam's mood had been especially sour as of late. Many rumors began to spread about the origin of Danielle. Some people believed that Danny could have cheated on Sam and gotten another girl, whether ghost or human, pregnant, and that Sam was taking the heat for it. Some people believed that Sam had secretly been pregnant for a long time, but that because ghost were different and, well, dead, that they never knew because it didn't take nearly as long as a live baby would. Another story was that the two had adopted her because she was a street urchin and an outcast in the ghost zone like Danny, but hid the fact because of how society would look upon two teenage parents. Though many people didn't believe that because of how similar she looked to Danny.

Many of the popular girls, especially Paulina, started going around, trying to annoy Sam. One particular way was the nickname she gave Sam. "Necro-slut". Though simple, the term irked Sam to no end, more so then any of those girls knew. On one occasion, Sam almost lost her temper and lashed out at Paulina. She had been trying to ignore the insults all day, but the second her daughter's name had entered the conversation, Sam's fury hit its peak. Luckily, Danny, Tucker, Jazz, and, to everyone's surprise, Valerie, who was beyond shocked when she was told the real story of Danielle's origin, were there to help her keep a level head.

"Sam, you gotta keep calm," Danny said as they walked away, but couldn't resist tossing Paulina a nasty look over his shoulder.

"Danny's right, Sam," Valerie said. "Don't forget, we're trying to keep **your** powers a secret. If you wigged out on a useless twig like Paulina, everything would only get worse, especially for Danielle. How would it look if you did the same thing she did? The media eat that up, and the phrase "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" would be stuck to you like superglue."

Though what she said was true, it did little to pacify Sam whenever she had the annoying A-Lister in her site. But she knew she had other problems to worry about.

Of course, once the news spread into the town about the incident at the middle school, many concerned parents began to protest that the young Fenton did not belong in school and that she be banned from attending ever again. Much to Danny and Sam's surprise, it was Principal Persir that came to Danielle's defense.

"Miss Fenton is a very bright student, and one of our top, not only in the school's recent history, but in the district. Not to mention that she has put her life on the life numerous times to protect not only the students of the school, but the people of this town. Therefore, I shall not prohibit her from attending class and receiving an education so long as she is willing. However, you can all rest assured that precautionary measures have been taken to ensure that something like this does not happen again. "

Though they were grateful, the Fenton's knew it would not stop there, and that his answer would only pacify a few people, if any at all. Soon after, their doorbell began to ring on a regular basis. Many parents had started to come by and ask what exactly did they think that they were doing and how they could let something like this happen. Whenever people like this came to the door, Danielle often found herself hiding in her room, invisible to the world. Of course, they were all wondering what exactly Danny and Sam were going to do to punish her and often questioned their capabilities as parents. Danny and Sam were beginning to feel the pressure, when Maddie and Jack stepped in and, decidedly, handled the parents. Before they could take a sigh of relief though, the ill-fated conversation that Danny knew was going to happen threw him for a loop.

When the Turners, Tammy and Timmy's parents, showed up and asked to speak with Sam and Danny, neither of the two were surprised. They were surprised, however, at the first words to leave Mrs. Turner's mouth.

"We are truly, truly sorry about all the trouble and stress that Timothy and Tamantha have caused you all," she said. Danny and Sam had to resist the urge to keep their mouths hanging open at the pure shock of her words. "They've always been like this because, with their father and me working so often, we used to have to have our family member's watch over them. Somehow, they became very spoiled and loved attention."

"This isn't the first time we've had to deal with them bullying other children," Mr. Turner said. "Although I'm sorry that this all happened, I honestly believe that this may have just been the wakeup call that they needed to get their acts together."

To say that they were grateful to get out of that confrontation with no repercussions was an understatement. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the constant phone calls. The phone rang constantly, and at all times of the day and night at Fenton Works, and every time someone answered, it was a news station or a reporter trying to get the scoop on the mini Phantom and the real origin of her birth. After only three days of the constant ringing, the phone was unplugged and forgotten. That did not stop the more persistent ones that would come to the door, but they never got very far because of the overly protective gigantic green ghost dog that guarded the door. But even through all of this, there was one battle that the two teens were not sure they could win, even with all their strength and know how.

"I said no!" Danielle yelled as she stomped her small slippered foot on the soft carpet of the living room as her parents sat in front of her, exhausted, on the couch from yet another one of her obvious temper tantrums. If the situation weren't so dire, they might have found it funny at how cute she looked in her pajamas.

"Danielle, I've already told you, it's the only way that they're going to allow you to go back to school," Danny said with a frustrated sigh as he held his head. Everyone in the house avoided having to go into the room as they had heard this conversation almost daily for the last two weeks and it was starting to tire them out as well. Ever since that dreaded parent-teacher conference, Danielle had refused to even consider wearing the belt. She already didn't want to go back to school, but to hear that she would be restricted of the use of her powers, only made it harder for Danny and Sam to reason with her. It was clear that she felt bad for all of the trouble she caused to her family with her actions, but thinking about not having her powers and being stripped of her own free will gave her painful memories of her time with Vlad, and she would not stand for that. Not even if the people doing it were her parents, which only hurt her even more.

"I can't go back to school! Don't you guys get it!?" She yelled. "Everyone thinks I'm a freak, I'll probably be shunned, and you want to take away my powers, the only thing that gave me any security when I was alone!"

"First of all, calm down, check you tone and lower your voice, Danielle," Sam said tensely. Her patients had worn beyond thin by this point, especially with her daughter, but they were out of time because she was supposed to return to school tomorrow, meaning they had to finish this, now. "Second, _we_ do _NOT _want to and we are not taking your powers away. However, this was the only deal that we could make. With how much damage you did, they don't trust you in the slightest to control yourself or your powers. Because of what you did, you've lost all your privileges at school."

"So you're just siding with them and taking away my powers!?"

"No one is taking you powers, Danielle!" Sam shouted back at her.

"You know what!? Screw both of you! You're worse than Vlad!" Danielle shouted in their faces. It took a moment for her to realize what exactly she had said, but by the time she did, it was too late.

Sam gasped, taken back by Danielle's insult as her anger vanished, and she brought her hands to her mouth, tears building in her eyes. Danny, on the other hand, felt as if his anger flared up even more at her disrespect and her disregard for their feelings. Grabbing her hand, Danny sprang up from the couch where he began to drag her up the stairs and into her bedroom. Danielle pulled at his grasp, but found it useless as her heart pounded furiously and fear pumped through her veins.

The entire house fell silent as the only sounds were Sam's soft cries, Danny's muffled yells and Danielle's sobs of protest as her father repeated smacked her backside.

"And you're gonna stay here to think about what you've done, young lady." Danny said as he exited the crying preteen's room. "You can come down when you're ready to apologize."

"I hate you!" Danielle screamed before slamming the door behind him. As Danny descended down the stairs, he tried to keep himself from shaking in both disgust and fury at himself, but couldn't stop the tears that fell from his face. Never would he have thought he would have to spank his daughter. He felt terrible about it, that much was clear; but the only thing that hurt more was hearing her say that she hated him. He knew she didn't mean it and that she was just upset, but she would never know how much it hurt any parent to hear their child say that to them. As his feet made contact with the floor, he made his way to the couch where he held Sam as she cried into his shoulder.

"I knew it. I knew this was going to happen," Sam said once she had finally calmed down enough to make coherent sentences. Her eyes were red and puffy, making her look even more tired than she already was. "This is just like me and my parents, only worse. So, so, so much worse."

"I know how you feel. But I swear, no matter what, this is not going to be like that," Danny said. "We are not like your parents. We will NEVER be like your parents. And we are going to get through this."

"But, Danny, she hates us. And who could blame her? We're trying to force her into what has got to be the worst possible situation."

"Sam, you know she doesn't mean it," he said, though it was more to reassure himself. "And you know we don't have a choice. With the town being so small, it's the only place we can send her. We can't move away because anywhere we go, people are going to recognize us. We tried home schooling her, and not only did that fail miserably, she hated it."

Sam was quiet as she brought her legs up and snuggled closer into his side while Danny kept a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Why is this all so hard and seems so bad?" she whispered.

"Because being a good part takes work," he replied.

The rest of the night had been eerily quiet as everyone purposely avoided Danielle's room where quiet sobs could be heard. When dinner was ready, Danielle had come down, but refused to look at anyone, especially her parents. Her eyes never left her plate and she made no sounds, not even any protest about her vegetables, other than her fork as it helped move food into her mouth. Her silence worried her family, but mostly Sam and Danny.

"May I be excused?" Danielle asked quietly as she set her fork on the empty plate.

"Sure, sweetie," Maddie said softly.

Danielle didn't say anything else as she stood up from her seat and made her way out of the room. Everyone turned to Danny and Sam who were still looking to where their daughter had left. Sam had tears in her eyes and Danny had his hands clenched in his lap, showing that the entire ordeal had been taking its toll on them just as much as it was her.

Neither Danny nor Sam got any sleep that night. Anytime either of them had fallen asleep, they were reminded of the pained and hurt look of their daughter, as well as the nightmares of them losing her. The next morning was no different than the previous night. Breakfast was silent as the four kids sat at the table, Danielle eating a bowl of cereal with downcast eyes, Danny using his fork to push his eggs around his plate with a loss of appetite, Sam swishing her orange juice in her glass as her stomach remained upset, and Jazz as she looked at the three worriedly from her book.

Danielle continued to remain mute as the morning went on, including when she stood by the front door, preparing to leave. As Maddie fastened and locked the mini silver belt around her waist, she looked at her granddaughter worriedly as her once lively blue eyes now seemed dull and faded.

"Try not to be so glum about it, Danielle," she said, stroking the young girl's cheek affectionately. "It won't be that bad. And you know that we are always here for you because we love you." Danielle said nothing, but gave her grandmother a small nod to acknowledge that she had heard what she had been told to her. With a kiss and a hug from everyone, Danny, Sam and Danielle left their home and made their way to the middle school, which seemed shorter then Danielle remembered because before she knew it, she was walking up the path toward the doors. Danielle could feel her pulse quicken at the site of building, and felt the urge to turn invisible and escape, but was quick to remember the new accessory strapped to her waist.

Many students gasped at the site of the young girl, and soon began murmuring to their friends while giving her weird looks which only brought back the memories of that faithful day that caused all of this. Turning her head down, she only looked at her feet and denim skirt as she continued to walk before stopping short of the doors as her teacher walked up to them.

"Good morning, everyone," Mrs. Otree said as she looked from Danny to Sam, and finally Danielle. "Good morning, Danielle."

"Good morning," Danielle said, not wanting to be rude to the one adult other than her family that had been on her side since the beginning.

"Thank you again for everything, Mrs. Otree," Danny said as he dug around in his pocket and fished out the key to Danielle's belt. "Here's the key to the Specture Deflector."

"It's been no trouble at. And I promise I will do whatever I can to help."

"Thank you," Sam said before kneeling and turning Danielle to look at her. "Ok, Ellie. This is it. I love you. Be good. And you know if you need us, you can call us." Danny followed suite and looked her in the eyes as well.

"No matter what you do, no matter what people say, no matter what happens, we will always love you and protect you. And, Ellie," he paused as she looked at him. "I'm really sorry about last night, but don't ever think that means that I will stop loving you."

Danielle stared at them, holding back as much as she could, but as she watched her parents begin to walk away, she let her tears fall and began to cry. Without another moment's hesitation, Danielle broke out into a sprint and crashed into Danny's back, grabbing onto his shirt and crying into it.

"Please, don't go," she said in a muffled voice. "I'm sorry Daddy. I'm really, really sorry about what I said and that I've been bad and caused all of this, but please, don't leave me."

Danny turned around and picked her up into his arms, holding her against his chest.

"It's ok, sweetie. I promise. It will all be ok," he said. Danielle then turned to Sam who was standing next to them. Sam gave her a smile as she held the side of her daughter face and placed a loving kiss on her cheek.

"Mommy?" Danielle whispered as fresh tears started to come.

"Hey now, no tears," she said soothingly as she wiped the tears away. "You're a Fenton, a Manson and a Phantom. You're the toughest kid there is, and you're our daughter, which means you're smart, you're brave and you'll get through this."

Danielle stared at them for a while but reluctantly nodded her head. As Danny set her back on her feet, they gave her one last loving look before they made their way toward their own school. As she watched them walk away, Danielle wasn't so sure she was as tough as they made her sound or as tough as she always told herself she was. Danielle felt a jolt of surprise as someone put their hand on her shoulder. Turning around, Danielle soon met the gaze of her teacher. Danielle looked at her teacher for the first time, expecting to see fear or anger from her, but, to her surprise, her face was calm, almost reassuring to the young girl.

"I know you're scared right now, but it's going to be alright," Mrs. Otree said as the warning bell rang out. "I have to go. But I'll see you in class in a few minutes." Danielle watched as she took her leave as well, and couldn't help the sense of abandonment she felt feeding her fear. As her head hung low, Danielle proceeded to walk up the small path once more and headed inside.

As the door closed behind her, Danielle could feel the eyes of all the students on her as the corridor went silent. As she shuffled across the tiled floor, many student were whispering as she walked by, and Danielle didn't need her enhanced hearing to hear the sneers in their words.

"Oh god. They let that freak back in here?" a girl said.

"I can't believe it either. How can she have the nerve to show her face around here again after what she did," a boy replied back said.

"I heard she's completely powerless now. Apparently they locked up her ghost half in some kind of weird chamber and that they have to keep the two separate because her ghost half is so mad, she'll destroy the town is she gets out," she heard someone say.

Danielle would have laughed at the fictitious story if it weren't so close to the truth. Clutching her backpack tighter, she could feel the tears building up. Just as she suspected, everyone hated her now. She was an outcast, a freak. She didn't belong there anymore. Sure, she had been different before, but at least she had her powers to help reassure her that everything would be ok, but now, she didn't even have those.

Making her way to her locker, Danielle felt a small ray of sunshine in the storm that was her life as she spotted Lin, gathering her books at her locker.

"H-hi, Lin," she muttered quietly. Lin turned her head and stared at Danielle for a few seconds before saying anything.

"Hello, Danielle," she said. "I see you're finally back in school."

"Yeah. Doesn't look like anyone in particular is happy to see me. So how've-"

"Listen, Danielle," Lin said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "I don't know exactly how to say this, but…we can't be friends anymore."

That, right there, was where it all took a turn for the worst. The small ray she saw before had suddenly been swallowed up into the black clouds, never to be seen again. Danielle felt as if her heart had just been shot to pieces as the words echoed in her ears.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"Look, it's just that, something's come up. People have started talking ever since the incident, and…people have started to avoid me and Jordan. They've start shunning us and making fun of us because we were friends with you, and well…with how angry you can get, we just feel that, maybe it's best for everyone if we don't hangout anymore. Sorry."

That was the last thing Lin said to her before closing her locker and walking away, leaving Danielle stunned, shocked, and worst of all, hurt. Danielle didn't know what to do, and didn't realize she was crying until she felt the warm moisture fall from her chin. A sob racked her body as well as a soft cry as she attempted to bring her hands up to her face to wipe her tears, only to find them bound. Looking up, Danielle came face to face with a very upset Tootie, who was holding both of her wrists, while Chester and AJ stood at her sides, boxing her in between her locker. Danielle was about to attempt to pull her hands free, but was stunned as Tootie's hand flew across her face, leaving a bright red mark in the same spot that Sam had kissed, almost as if she were attempting to take away all the love her mother had given her.

"You disgusting trash!" Tootie yelled in her face. "How dare you show your face after what you did!?"

Danielle could only stare at her, dumbfounded, with no reply. Normally, with her headstrong spirit, she wouldn't let something like that happen, or at least not let someone get away with it. But with her spirit more broken then shattered glass, she was about as helpless as could be.

"Not so tough now, are you, freak?" Chester said, shoving her. AJ, standing on her opposite side, shoved her back toward Chester and the two continued tormenting the defenseless girl. Once the finally had their fill, Chester gave her one last good shove, sending her falling backwards into her locker. As she crashed into the door, it swung open, allowing a huge pile of papers to fall onto her. Each page was different, whether it was a hand written message, a grotesque picture of her, or both, but all were a clear sign that she was not wanted there. As she sat up, she noticed a crowd of students that now surrounded them, all she could do was cry as they all laugh and began to chant.

"Freak! Freak! Freak! Freak!" They all said in unison.

As the chanting echoed down the hallway, it reached Lin's ears, causing her to turn around and look at Danielle as she sat on the floor, crying her eyes out as all the hope she had left was now gone.

'_I knew this was going to happen,'_ Danielle thought as she cried. '_Everyone's abandoned me. Lin. Jordan. Mrs. Otree. Even Mommy and Daddy. Why do these things keep happening to me? What have I done that was so wrong that my life is always a living hell? I hate this! I HATE THIS!'_

As the bell rang, signaling that everyone should head to class, the students scattered, some laughing at her while others taunted the fact that she was crying. Danielle, however, didn't move as she stayed curled up in a heap of paper and tears.


	23. Chapter 23: New Friends

**Before I begin, I'd like to thank everyone for reading up to this point. I'm sure you're all enjoying this story, and I'm more then glad to continue to supply you with such entertainment. I am on spring break, and because I've been getting some seriously awesome love for this story, I'm writing another chapter. Now, I'd like to address a question that a few people asked me: Does Dark Dani have a chance of existence? The simple answer is: No. There shall NOT be any Dark Dani in this story, nor in any of the sequels. Sorry, I got nothing against her, and usually enjoy a story that's done well her, but I'm not going that route. However, though I cannot give you specific details, I can say that Danielle will be going to the Dark Side, so to speak. And no, it's not because they have cookies. Also, if you have any question after the chapter, I may be able to answer…or not. You'll have to ask and see. Lol. So, I hope you're ready, because it starts here:**

Chapter 23: New Friends

Danielle tried to focus on her note taking, but with the constant nasty comments from her fellow classmates surrounding her, not to mention the multiple spitballs and crumpled up paper balls, she was finding it impossible. Holding her pencil limply in her hand, Danielle could only keep her eyes, which were red and slightly puffy, on her paper. She had learned early on during the lesson that it was best for her to not look up because people would only sneer and glare at her. Luckily, Mrs. Otree seemed to have noticed this as well, and refrained from asking her any questions.

Danielle wanted to look out of her peripheral to her left where he former best friend was sitting, but after the incident earlier where she had been left to the mercy of the student body with no one to help her, she knew it was pointless. Unbeknownst to Lin, Danielle had seen her looking and turning away when she had been on the floor crying. That hurt Danielle more than anything else because a small part of her held hope that Lin would help her when she most needed it. That small part no longer existed.

As the bell rang, and everyone gathered their things, Danielle made no attempt to move at all. As the students passed by, many of them shoved her chair or desk, snickering at her discomfort, but still, Danielle made no indication that she cared. Once everyone had cleared their way out of the room, Danielle placed her pencil into her backpack as well as her notebook.

"Dani?"

Looking up for the first time, Danielle looked at the only person left in the room, her teacher.

"Yes, Mrs. Otree?" she asked sadly, knowing where this was going.

"Are you feeling alright, dear? Your eyes are a little puffy," she said as she walked over to her desk and placed a hand on Danielle's shoulder. Danielle wanted to tell her so badly about what had happened earlier, but she knew it was pointless. There was nothing her teacher could do, and anything she did would probably only make things worse for Danielle. If that were even possible.

"I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little tired is all," she said as she tried to not look as broken as she really felt.

"Well…alright," she said, hesitantly. "But you know if you need someone to talk to, you can talk with me or Lindsey."

Danielle stiffened slightly at the mention of her former friend, but nodded her head. At least she had one person she could turn to if need me.

'_But what good is one person who can't always be there for you?'_ she told herself as she stood and grabbed her backpack. Her steps were slow and hesitant as she headed to the door, much like they had been when she walked into the classroom. Raising her hands, she took off her denim beanie and shook out the loose spitballs from her raven colored locks. Behind her, Linda Otree raised a single hand to her mouth as each one fell to the ground. Of course she had warned all the students about spitballs and paper throwing, but she hadn't thought that they would have hit Danielle with so many without her seeing.

Placing her hat back on her head, Danielle exited the classroom and headed toward her next class.

By the time she made it to gym, Danielle was the only one in the girl's locker room, which she was beyond thankful for. She was already teased enough as it was for being small for her age, especially when it came to her chest and curves, but with the way things had been going, she could only imagine the kind of crazy assumptions people would make about her. Now that everyone knew she was a clone.

Adjusting her shirt over her belt, Danielle exited and entered the gym where everyone was conversing quietly while waiting for the teacher. A few people glared at her or turned away in disinterest, but Danielle ignored them as she stood against the back wall.

"Alright, settle down," the gym teacher said as he started to check off students on the list. "Today, we're gonna be playing dodgeball." Mixed groans and cheers came from the small group but the teacher seemed to ignore it. "Now, we're gonna pick teams. Ramses and Deirdre, you're captains."

The two stood in front of their classmates, and began the elimination process until all that was left was Melvin, the most uncoordinated person in class, and Danielle, who hadn't said a word as she continued to stand against the wall.

"I pick Melvin," Deirdre said.

"What!? No way, we don't wanna be stuck with the freak," Ramses protested.

"Well that's too bad because we already picked and if you don't, you'll be one short."

"Well I'd rather have that then have _her_ on our team!" he shouted back. Though his words stung, Danielle said nothing, adverting her eyes to the ground in a mixture or rejection, shame and embarrassment.

"Alright, that is enough!" The teacher said in annoyance. "Ramses, Danielle is on your team, that's the end of it."

"Fine," he grumbled as Danielle left her place on the wall and walked over to her team. Everyone parted and moved away from her as if she was diseased, and Danielle could feel herself wanting to cry, but held the tears back. Why give her tormentors more ammunition? "Just don't get in the way, freak."

As the game started, one thing became very obvious to Danielle: everyone was out to get her. In the beginning of the game, she mostly stayed in the back, dodging any ball that came her way, and avoiding touching any because her teammates made it very clear to her that she was not supposed to. As their numbers began to thin out, her team was getting too short on numbers, and so Danielle was forced to go on the offensive as well. Luckily, she wasn't as weak as she feared without her powers, which seemed to upset the other team. Soon, they all began to throw balls at her simultaneously, but with Danielle's natural agility and the numerous times she had to dodge ecto-blast, she was able to avoid being hit, and a small spark of her old personality began to ignite.

"Hey, that's no fair! She's cheating!" A boy on the opposing team yelled.

"Yeah, she's probably using her powers to make it so we can't hit her or something," Deirdre yelled.

"No I'm not!" Danielle said, lifting her shirt slightly to show the silver belt. "I can't use any of my powers with this stupid thing on."

Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Deirdre and her teammate picked up two rubber red balls, and tossed them as hard as they could at Danielle. Not having enough time to dodge, Danielle felt the impact as one hit her in the stomach and the other hit her face. As she hit the ground with a loud thud, Danielle brought her hands up to her face as the pain came at her full force, something she was not used to and didn't expect from something as light and bouncy as a rubber ball. A few drops of blood hit her hand as well as a few tears as she sat up and cradled her face as everyone laughed at her.

Danielle had never had a nose bleed before, but that wasn't the thing that shocked her the most. It was the fact that no one was even concerned about the fact that she had been hurt. Sure, no one liked her and they all thought she was a freak, but did they all hate her so much that they were willing to laugh at her pain?

A loud whistle flew through the air as the gym teacher walked over and kneeled in front of her, silencing everyone. Holding her chin slightly, he tilted her head back and examined as the red liquid came from her nose.

"Well, it doesn't look too bad," he said, as he let her go and handed her a paper towel. "You'd better get dressed and head to the nurse, but make sure you keep pressure on it."

"Ok," Danielle said, getting to her feet and holding her nose with the towel.

"Later, freak," Deirdre taunted, gaining a laugh out of the rest of her team while Danielle's team only scowled at the young phantom as if it were her fault she got hit.

"Deirdre, you're out," the teacher said in a no nonsense tone. "And you can get dressed as well because I'm giving you a zero for the day."

"What!? Why!?"

"You know the rules. Hitting someone in the face is an automatic out. Doing it intentionally gets you removed from gym for the rest of the day, and it's clear that what happened was done intentionally."

That was the last that Danielle heard before the locker room door closed. As she finished getting dressed, Danielle was starting to get a bit worried that her nose was still bleeding. She couldn't name the countless times she'd been wounded in battle or had flesh wounds, but each time, they would heal fairly quickly. But her nose hadn't begun to heal even the slightest, and that was something that worried her greatly.

'_Why aren't I healing?'_ she thought to herself. With a sigh, she grabbed her backpack and headed back into the halls of the school to the nurse.

As she walked out of the nurse's office, still feeling a little unsettled at the way she was being stared at as well as the questions she asked about her differences between herself and regular people by the nurse, Danielle heard the bell ring, signaling that her lunch period had started. Grasping her backpack in her hands, Danielle turned toward the direction of the cafeteria where the sounds of student chatter could be heard, but instead of heading there to sit with her friends, Danielle turned on her heels and made a dash for the closest exit.

As she stepped onto the grass of the schoolyard, she headed straight for the completely empty playground, her inner child leading her to what she felt was a sanctuary. Her shoes made a pleasant crunch as they came into contact with the woodchips that were laid out so that the kids didn't hurt themselves, but Danielle paid it no attention as she headed for the one thing that she hoped would bring her comfort; the swing.

Dropping her bag by the pole next to her, Danielle plopped onto the unoccupied swing. Pumping her legs a little, just to get some motion, Danielle closed her eyes, imagining that she was flying over the city, something she hadn't done since the incident. For a few minutes, she just let the wind blow around her, trying to let all her problems seem weightless and fly away with her.

As she started to slow down, she began to let everything that'd been happening to her since the day started build up inside her chest. All the taunting, all the bullying in class and in gym, and let it all out in a loud cry as she let her tears flow and her soft sobs echo around her. Eventually, she came to a complete stop, and pulled her knees up as she let her emotions leave her body in a hurry.

"Well, ain't this a surprise."

Danielle, startled, looked up with a wet face to see a pale skinned boy with short blonde hair hidden under a dark brown balmoral that matched his eyes as he sat a top of the jungle gym. Danielle quickly wiped her eyes as she took in the brown cargo shorts and green shirt he was wearing as well as the green gym shoes, and recognized him from her first week when Lin was telling her about some of the more dangerous and infamous kids at the school.

"What's so surprising?" she asked, averting her gaze and trying to hide the disgust in her voice. "The freak girl being able to cry like a normal person?"

"Now don't get your pink panties in a bunch," he said, jumping down from his spot. Danielle could feel the heat rush to her face as she realized she was in a denim skirt, and though she knew she wasn't wearing pink underwear, decided it was better not take a chance. "I'm not here to make fun of you. The names-"

"I know who you are, Nicholas," she sneered as she climbed off of the swing and picked up her bag.

"Actually, I prefer Nick. Know-it-all Nick Hancock, at your service," he said as he removed his cap and bowed to her, though it didn't impress Danielle in the slightest.

"Again, I know who you are. What I don't know is what you want, and to be honest, I don't really care," Danielle said as she started to walk away. To her annoyance, she could hear his footsteps as he followed her further into the school yard.

"Now don't be like that. I'm only here to have a bit of a chat. You look like you could use a friend, especially with all the crap that happened to you this morning."

Danielle felt her heart drop into her stomach at his words, but she refused to let him get even a small amount of satisfaction at her pain. She had already had enough of that today to last her a life time.

"I don't need a friend, especially one like you, and I don't wanna talk. Why don't you just get lost like everyone else," she said as she spun around and glared at the nonchalant boy as he walked with his hands behind his head. "Besides, haven't you heard? I'm too dangerous to be around."

"Everyone needs a friend. You know, it was pretty cool the way you got back at the Turner twins for what they did to you. And I bet their lackeys wouldn't have even thought about doing anything to you if it weren't for that belt you got on. You're way too awesome and strong to let something like that get to you," he said with a smile as Danielle looked at him in confusion.

"Are you hitting me? Cause if you are, I'm not interested," she said as her mind wandered back to the school dance a few months ago with Youngblood. Though she was still a bit confused on her feelings for him, she didn't want to deal with that anytime soon.

"No, no. You got it all wrong. Like I said, I just want to chat," he said, walking past her and climbing into the nearby tree. Danielle's patience was beginning to evaporate, though to her own credit, she was surprised she had any at all.

"Look, Nicholas, I'm sure that you're a nice guy with good intentions and whatever. But I'm not interested in whatever this little game is that you're playing, so why don't you just get to the point of whatever it is you came for."

"Fine, fine," Nick said with a sigh, seeing that his smooth talking wasn't going to get him anywhere. "I'm here for the same reason I said before. You look like you could use a friend. I know what it's like to be an outcast. We all do."

"We?"

"The Renegades. I'm second in command, and it's basically my job to find kids like us that are in need of a place they can call home; a refuge where they can escape and not have to worry about their problems, even if it's just for a short amount of time."

"And you think I'm one of these kids?" Danielle asked.

"Well, based on what I've seen, all your friends have abandoned you. I'm also guessing that your family doesn't understand because if they did, they wouldn't have sent you back here."

"No, that's not it. My family…" Danielle paused, biting her lip. Though she hated to admit it, what he was saying was true, and she couldn't lie to herself that she hadn't thought the same thing. "Well, regardless, I'm not like you."

"Oh really? I heard about the dodgeball incident earlier today," he said with a cheeky smile that he knew irritated Danielle, and based on the look in her eyes, he knew he had it the nail on the head. "Do you know the kind of kids that come to us? Orphans, kids who have been bullied and abused, kids looking for protection. They come to us because they know we can help them, and that's why I came to you."

"Well, I'm not interested in whatever kinda service you guys are offering."

"Well, take this, just in case you change your mind," Nick said as he hopped out of the tree and handed her a piece of paper. With a smile and a tip of his hat, Nick turned around and headed back toward the entrance to the cafeteria. Danielle watched him walk until he disappeared inside before she opened her palm to find a slip of paper in it. Carefully unfolding the paper, Danielle found that it had a number for a place in the warehouse district in town, a phone number with Nick's name on it, and a message.

"If you ever need a friend, just give us a call or come see us here. The door's always open," she said as she read the message. Danielle crumpled the note in her hand, preparing to throw it away, but for some reason, she couldn't convince herself to let go of the paper. With a groan of frustration, she slipped the paper into her bag and pulled out her sack lunch.

The rest of her day had gone much like the beginning, and when Danielle finally made it home, there were no words to describe her relief. Walking into the house, which was strangely quiet for her family, she was instantly greeted by her loyal companion, Cujo.

"Good boy, Cujo," she said as she petted him. "You still love me, right? You wouldn't just leave me like everyone else who I thought was my friend, right?" as she said that, her mind was drawn back to her backpack that still housed the note from Nick. She had been thinking about it ever since lunch, making her already overcrowded thoughts even more crowded. Danielle let out a sigh.

It was common knowledge in town that the Renegades were a group of kids that caused a few problems for the people in town. She had heard Tucker talk about them quite a few times, but mostly petty crimes like spray-painting graffiti all over town and pulling pranks on people. No one really knew exactly who or what it was that made up the Renegades, but the students in her school knew who they were whenever they came down the hall or sat in the lunch room. It was easy to tell because many students started to act or dress differently than they had before. Nerds were fighting with bullies, honor student's grades would slip and kids who used to be kind were suddenly arrogant and uncaring about anything. Danielle had been warned by Lin to avoid them at any cost because kids who feel into that crowd always changed, though some say for the worse, they often said for the best. Now that they had approached her, the smart thing for her to do would be to forget it even happened, and just go back to her normal life.

'_What normal life? Everyone at school hates you,' _she thought to herself. '_Nick was the only person other than a teacher who didn't sneer or throw something at you. The least you could do is thank him for trying to help.'_

"It's not like I have to join, right?" she said as she sat on the floor with Cujo looking up at her with confusion. "I can just…go there, later tonight, and thank Nick for being considerate enough to offer me an invitation to join. It's just being polite and grateful." Cujo said nothing as she looked at him as if he were going to start talking to her. "Then it's settled. I'll go there later tonight, after dinner." With that, she petted him on his head and crawled over to her desk drawer where she pulled out a treat for him. Cujo began to bark excitedly at the sight and smell of his favorite treat as she gave it to him with a small smile. "Thanks for listening, Cujo."

With her choice made, she climbed onto her bed, and rested against her pillow as she suddenly found herself extremely tired from the day, and closed her eyes as she slipped into a short nap.


	24. Chapter 24: The Renegades

Chapter 24: The Renegades

Danny and Sam wasted no time as the final bell rang out, and headed straight to the middle school to pick up Danielle. Both were beyond grateful that there hadn't been any ghost attacks all day; the thought alone of Danielle having to try to fight without powers in the state of mind she was in nearly made Sam vomit up her lunch. As they jogged up to the front of the school, both teenagers began to feel panic coursing through them as they looked for Danielle, but found no sign of her.

"Where could she be?" Sam said, worry clear in her voice.

"Maybe she's still inside. Let's go check," Danny said, grabbing her hand and heading toward the building. As they made their way up the stairs and through the halls, they were oblivious to the many stares and whispers of the children around them. Ever since he began ghost fighting, Danny had been working on keeping his focus when he had a task to complete, and though it was more of a work in progress, he had gotten better at filtering out noise like the voices of chatting middle school children.

Scanning the halls, they were starting to get nervous as they still found no sign of her.

"Danny? Sam?" The two turned to see Mrs. Otree as she walked down the hallway toward them with a look of concern on her face as well. "What are you two doing here? Is everything ok?"

"Where's Danielle?" Sam asked frantically.

"She's not here. As soon as school was over, she grabbed her bag and rushed out the door. Is everything alright?"

"Well, we were just really worried about her. After what happened this morning when we dropped her off, we haven't been able to stop thinking about her," Danny said.

"I think we should call home and see if she made it there ok," Sam said, pulling her phone out, she started with calling Danielle's phone. The phone rang for a while before going to voicemail. Sam then called the house phone as she tried not to panic at the unanswered call.

"_Hello, Fenton Works, this is Maddie Fenton. If you're calling to try and get a news story from anyone in my family, you can just hang up now because we have no comment on-"_

"Maddie, it me, Sam."

"_Sam? Oh my god, I am so sorry, sweetie. I thought you were a reporter."_

"It's ok. I was just calling to ask if you've seen Danielle. She's not here at the school and Danny and I are getting worried because she didn't answer her phone."

"_Well you two can calm down. She's here, and she's in her room right now, taking a nap. I just checked on her and left her some cookies."_

"Oh thank god. Thanks a lot, Maddie. We'll be home soon."

"_No problem, sweetie."_ As she hung up the phone, Sam let out a sigh of relief that everything was ok. Danny wrapped his arm around her, and looked at his former teacher. Danny got an uneasy feeling as he looked at the worry that was still on the women's face, and knew it had something to do with his daughter.

"So…how did it all go today?" he finally asked, though he had a very strong feeling that he wasn't going to like what he was going to hear.

"Not good, Danny. Not good," Mrs. Otree said with a sigh as she wrapped her arms around herself. "When she came into class, she had tear streaks coming down her face, her eyes were very red and puffy, and she was sniffling. It's obvious that she had been crying, but I have no idea why."

"Did she say anything about it?" Sam asked.

"No. I asked her after class if she was alright and told her if she needed someone to talk to that she could come to me, but she still seemed very distant. It didn't help that the other kids were throwing things at her doing class. Also the gym teacher told me earlier that someone hit her in the face with a dodgeball and gave her bit of a nosebleed."

"Oh my god. Poor Danielle. Come on, Danny, let's get home." Danny nodded his head in agreement and the two headed back into the hall for the front door. Once outside, they headed around the corner to transform and took off for home. "God, I hope she's ok."

"Me too. I can't imagine how rough her day was," Danny said. "Maybe it was a mistake to send her back. I mean, I was always scared that would be me when my secret got out. Her biggest secret gets out, and instantly, the whole town has turned this whole thing upside down."

"I know, Danny. I was scared for you and her. But we did it for her own good, right?" Sam asked, though her voice held all of her uncertainty. "I mean, eventually she was going to have to leave the house, and she needs an education. And…we're being good parents, right?" Sam looked to Danny for an answer, but from the look in his eyes as he looked back, it was clear he didn't have one.

The second they touched down on the front porch, the two ran into the house, not even bothering to change back into their human forms. Luckily, the house's usual anti-ghost defense systems weren't active. Jazz and Tucker, who had just gotten home themselves a few minutes before, jumped in surprise at the rush that the two were in.

"Jesus, guys. You almost gave me a heart attack the way you just came charging in here," Jazz said, holding a hand to her chest and letting out a sigh.

"Sorry, Jazz. We just want to-" Danny stopped as the sound of a door opening caught his and Sam's attention. Both looked up at the top of the stairs as Danielle let out a yawn and rubbed her eye of the sleep still in it.

"What's with all the noise? Can't a girl take a nap around here without someone blowing something up or breaking something?" she said in irritation, though no one was too surprised by that. Having gotten her sleeping habits from Danny and Sam, as well as living with a very overly excitable family like the Fentons, they had all learned early on to avoid her if she hadn't gotten enough sleep. Before Danielle knew it, she was being swept up into her mother's glowing arms as Sam held her tight and began placing kisses all over her face. Danielle could feel her face begin to heat up as a wave of embarrassment climbed up from her core and into her face, leaving her flushed. As Sam finally stopped kissing her and set Danielle back down on her feet, she began to inspect her for any injuries in much of the same way she did after a battle. Though she seemed ok, Sam could not help but worry as she looked at the Band-Aid that rested across the bridge of her nose.

"Are you ok, Danielle?" Sam asked, lightly touching the band-aid. Danielle winced and recoiled at the slight pain which only confirmed Sam's suspicions. Danielle was about to lie and say that everything was fine, but having learned her lesson from their last encounter with Ember where she was left with burned hands, she knew that wouldn't be a good idea.

"Not really. My nose hurts, and I wasn't able to start healing it until I got home and got the belt taken off," she said with a sigh as she allowed Sam to carefully remove one side of the band-aid and examine the bruise on her face that was healing slower than it should have been.

"Without your powers, your body wasn't able to do its normal healing process," Danny said as he came and stood next to them and looked at the bruise up close himself. Danielle rolled her eyes.

"Wow, really? I hadn't noticed," she replied in a snarky tone. "I guess I figured that out sometime between when it as bleeding and when I had to actually go to the nurse, who felt the need to ask me a bunch of stupidly awkward question."

"Rough day, kid?" Danny asked, ignoring the clear sarcasm in her voice, but couldn't help rubbing his head as she gave him a look that made it very obvious that what he had asked was stupid. "Sorry. Standard question."

Danielle sighed as the band-aid was put back into place, and looked at her father. "I know, and I'm sorry. It's just…been a really sucky day and…" Danielle paused, running up to both her parents and hugged them, holding them tight like they were a lifeline and she didn't want to let go.

Sam smiled a small, though sad smile as she ran her cool fingers through Danielle's long raven colored hair, sending a small shiver through her body at the pleasant feeling. Danny held her to him, letting her stay attached to them for as long as she needed, though he was surprised when she pulled away so quickly.

"Ellie, I am so sorry about whatever it is that happened to you today at school. I really wish there was something we could do to make it better," he said with a sigh. Danielle bit the inside of her cheek. If there was ever a time to ask for something, now was probably it. She knew she couldn't ask for anything too outrageous like being able to never go to school again, but it could help with her lockdown problem she's been having as of lately.

"Well…there is one thing I'd really like," she said quietly, looking up at him with a small bit of her puppy dog eyes, though it was unneeded.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"I was hoping that, since I have to be on lockdown during school, if I could possibly…be allowed to go out of the house whenever I want to…"

"You want to be able to come and go as you please?" Sam said as she tried to clarify what was being asked of them. "Um…Danielle, I don't know-"

"Please, Mom," she begged. "It's bad enough that I have to spend more than 8 hours with a belt that blocks my powers, but the torment I had to go through today was horrible. All I want is to be able to go out when I need to and go flying to clear my mind. It'll be a way to relax and blow off steam so I don't go crazy, and I can even do some patrolling while I'm out. Please?"

Sam looked to her boyfriend, unsure of what to do in this situation. All though the idea seemed plausible, she wasn't sure how she would feel about Danielle being out there alone. Of course she knew the girl was strong enough to take care of herself, and if there was a real problem, she would contact them for help. But the maternal side of her was telling her that it may not be the best idea. From the look of concentration on Danny's face, she could tell he was having similar thoughts of his own. With a sigh, Danny nodded his head.

"Alright. But there are a few rules," he said with a serious tone. "First, you have to let someone in the house know when you are leaving. Second, you have to be back by curfew unless preapproved by one of us. Third, you will check in with us while you are out there. Fourth, you will avoid the paparazzi. If they see you, they're going to go crazy about trying to get a story out of you. Clear?"

"Yes sir," she said, small smile on her face. "Thanks, Daddy." She quickly hugged him and then Sam before going back into her room. Both teenagers just stared at the door for a few seconds before changing back to normal and walking into their own room.

After dinner was over, Danielle went up to her bedroom, changing her jean skirt out for a pair of denim shorts, and dug the small piece of paper out of her backpack before heading downstairs to tell her parents she was leaving.

"I'm going out for a fly. I'll be back later," she said, as she tried to rush out the door.

"Hold it, missy," Sam said, standing up from the couch. "Do you have your cellphone?"

"Yes."

"Your Fenton Phones?"

"Yes."

"Fenton Thermos?"

"Clipped to my belt in ghost form, Mom. Anything else?" Sam smiled, shaking her head no, and kneeled down, kissing Danielle on the cheek.

"Nope. You're clear for takeoff. Just be careful, and make sure you're back by curfew."

"Don't worry, I will be," Danielle said as her ring appeared around her waist and she transformed. With a quick wave to her father, Danielle turned intangible and flew through the roof. As she floated high above the city, she took in a deep breath, relishing in the feeling. If she wasn't so excited, she would be crying right now. She hadn't used her powers or transformed in over two weeks. Spending the whole day without access to them at will had been torture to her, especially with the kind of day she had earlier, and the feeling of moving on a swing had nothing on the feeling over literally being up so high that the only thing you have to worry about was getting wet from going through a cloud. No, she would never take her powers for granted. Not when she could have this feeling of weightlessness and smell the freshest air there was up here. As she finally came down from her high, she turned toward the warehouse district of Amity Park, and took off.

As Danielle landed in front of the gate, she reverted back to her human form, and dug the piece of paper from her pocket.

"Section 7, Warehouse 24," she mumbled to herself as she squeezed past the gate, and began her walk. Danielle could feel an uneasy calm as she walked under the bright street lights, leaving many shadows around her. "I hope I find this place soon. I'm starting to get seriously creeped out, and I'm a ghost. Nothing is supposed to be creeper then that." It didn't take long for Danielle to find the building on the outer edge of the district, but as she stood in front of the door, she could hear the distinct sounds of other children, and instantly, she was starting to regret coming here. "Come on, Danielle," she mumbled to herself. "The sooner you do this, the sooner you can get out of here." With one more deep breath, she walked up to the door, and knocked on it.

At first nothing happened, and she was beginning to think no one had heard her and that she was just supposed to walk in, until a small window slid open to reveal a pair of gray eyes.

"Password," the boy on the other side said.

"Wh-what?" Danielle stammered, caught off guard by the question.

"I said, password," he replied in annoyance.

"Um…" Danielle looked down at the small crumpled up piece of paper in her hand for anything that she might have missed, but came up empty. "It doesn't say anything on here."

"Then you ain't getting in," he said coldly. Danielle cold feel a slight bit of confusion cross her mind as she remembered Nick's words from earlier, and based on the way she was being treated now, it hardly seemed like the refuge that anyone who could call home.

"Look, I'm just here to see Nicholas. He said he would be here, and I just wanted to thank him for offering to let me join."

"If you don't have the password, you can't get in. Now beat it before I make you."

"Look, I'm trying to be nice here, but you're making this really difficult," Danielle said as her patience was starting to tip on the scale into anger. "So either you can go get Nicholas so I can talk to him, let me in without any more problems, or I can force for my way in."

"I'd like to see you try!" he growled out. Danielle raised her eyebrow, a look of disbelief on her face before turning intangible. The boy's eyes nearly fell out of his head and onto the ground as she simply walked through the door and pass him before turning tangible again. Danielle looked around the brightly lit warehouse and was surprised at what she saw.

From one side of the warehouse to other, there were kids. In one corner, there were kids playing games on a TV that had been placed on some boxes. Two kids sat in front of the TV, their hands moving rapidly over the various buttons, while a group behind them cheered on for which ever player they wanted to win. A few of them had money in their hands, giving Danielle the impression that they were gambling on the match.

In another corner, a few other kids were sitting around, munching on various snack foods from chips to candy to fruits as well as drinking various liquids as they sat by what looked like an industrial sized refrigerator. Other various kids were just aimlessly running around, chatting or minding their own business.

But the thing that really caught Danielle's attention was the small over-crowded ring just off to the left of where she entered. Many kids were shouting and cheering as Danielle stared on in complete disbelief as an older boy seemed to be beating up on a younger boy. The older boy had long brown hair that seemed to stop just above his shoulders, and was standing shirtless with his hands up to protect his face. Danielle would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't the least be intrigued by the well toned abs of the boy whom she assumed was in high school. The smile on his face showed that he was both confident, but also a very proud person as he danced, bare footed around his opponent who was probably no more than ten-years old, and had a big smile of joy on his face as well. Danielle was so distracted by what she saw, that she didn't notice the boy come up behind her until she felt the tight, painful tug of her hair as he pulled her by her ponytail.

"Alright, freak, I don't know how you pulled that little trick of yours, and I don't care cause you're-"

"Bruce!" Both looked up, though for Danielle it was a bit harder with the boy still holding her hair, to see a young girl standing before them with her hands on her hips and a look of displeasure on her face. The girl was definitely older then Danielle, maybe only by a year or two, and her skin had a nice golden brown coloring to it, making Danielle believe that she was of Latin decent. The girl was wearing a floral print skirt that came to her knees as well as a low V-neck black shirt that showed a lot of cleavage, and as she narrowed her green eyes, she strode over to them, almost radiating authority. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"I-I was-I mean-" Danielle stammered before being cut off.

"Not you. Him," she said, glaring at Bruce. "What the hell is wrong with you!? Is that how you treat a lady? By grabbing her hair and yanking it?" A few of the kids nearby cringed at her tone as the older girl was infamous amongst their group for her temper.

"Listen, Marina, I-" he started, but was interrupted as she slapped him, causing him to release Danielle, who was just as shocked as he was.

"Get your stupid ass back to the door, and don't let me see you again for the rest of the night!" she yelled, grabbing Danielle's hand and leading her away from the entrance. "¡Dios mío, I swear, I'm going to get a leash for that stupid animal." As she finally got a good distance away from him, she turned around and looked at Danielle with a look of worry. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry about that."

"Um…" Danielle said as she tried to figure out what just happened. "Yeah. I'm fine, thanks. He just got the jump on me. I'm Danielle, but I prefer Dani."

"Oh, trust me, I know who you are," she said with a smile. "Name's Marina. I'm head of security around here. It's my job to make sure everything runs smoothly around here and make sure everyone stays safe."

Danielle's eyes drifted slightly back over to the fight ring, and her skepticism was starting to get the better of her. Before she could comment, her eyes fell back onto the older boy who was now patting himself dry with a towel as he walked toward them with, to Danielle's surprise, Nicholas at his side, chatting it up about something. Marina followed her gaze and couldn't help smirking at the look on Danielle's face. She had seen it on the faces of many little girls that had come to the warehouse, and knew that she was in the starting stages of infatuation.

"Who's that?" Danielle asked, her gaze never leaving the boy.

"That is Ray. He is the leader of the Renegades," she said as the boys walked over to them. "Hey guys."

"Marina. I see that you've let that temper of yours get the better of you once again," Ray said with a grin on his face. Danielle was amazed at the sound of his voice. Though not very deep, his voice had an authoritative tone to it, and was very smooth as he spoke.

Marina rolled her eyes at the comment. "It's not my fault that Bruce is an idiot. If you would just let me get the shock collars, he wouldn't have almost hurt Danielle here. Though based on what I've seen and heard on the news, I'm sure she wouldn't have any problem taking him down."

"Danielle! Good to see ya," Nick said with a huge grin on his face. "What brings you to our neck of the warehouses? Came to take us up on that offer?"

"No, I, um…actually just came to say thanks for being so nice and giving me the offer, but I don't think that I really belong here."

"Well, it was no problem. But you should stick around for a while, get to know people, maybe grab a soda or two from the fridge. Just relax a bit. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go referee the next match," he said as she made his way back to the ring. Just as he walked away, a loud crash rang out from over by the television as two kids began to fight over something. Marina let out a sigh of annoyance.

"Well, looks like my job is never done." She then turned and, with a wicked smirk, grabbed hold of Ray, slamming her mouth onto his. The two began a small groping session, and Danielle could feel her face heating up and turning red as she stood there, awkwardly watching as Ray grabbed Marina's butt and Marina let out a deep moan. Before Danielle advert her gaze, the two separated, and Marina walked off, swaying her hips in a very sexual manner. Danielle watched her go, but turned back when Ray let out a deep chuckle and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You look like you just got a bad case of sunburn," he said.

"Sorry, I…it's just…it was a bit awkward to watch you and your girlfriend make out like that with me standing less than five feet away."

"Oh, Marina's not my girlfriend. She and I just like to mess around from time to time."

Danielle didn't need any clarification as to what he meant by that. Because of the recent increase in teenage pregnancy, she had learned a lot about how many kids were born because their parents were doing things like that. Though she found it entertaining to watch the day time reality talk shows where people were yelling at each other over paternity, she did not like find it entertaining to have to have the birds and the bees talk with her mother. Danielle could still remember very clearly the day when her first…cycle had started, and, thinking she was going to bleed to death, ran into her parents room, crying her eyes out. When she saw her father laughing and the deadly red blush on her mother's face, she was very confused. And so, there began her first trip in the world of puberty, and from what she heard, it wasn't pleasant. To this day, she can't help blushing when thinking about her over dramatic reaction on that day, though her mother reassured her that she had done very much the same thing.

"So, um, why is she going to break up that fight? I thought you guys were ok with fighting?" Danielle said in an attempt to change the subject.

"No. Fighting isn't something we're particularly ok with. A little shoving, a little rough housing, sure. But we make sure to keep it from getting out of hand."

"Then what was it that you were doing over there?" she asked, looking at the ring were two more people were going at it.

"Over there is the sparring ring. We use it to train kids in self-defense, and to let them blow off some steam. Like if those two are fighting, Marina will give them a choice of either settling it in the ring, or letting her settle it. Most will usually take the first option," he said with another chuckle. "Once they get in the ring, we have a better chance to watch over them and keep them safe from doing anything too stupid."

"I see. So, were you the one who started all of this?"

"Me? No. The Renegades have been around in Amity for a long time. I'm just the most recent leader, Nick's my right hand, and Marina is the protection. A few of the other kids are ranked higher than other, but that's mostly based on seniority. You have to prove yourself or be in good favor with the high ranks to really move up in the group."

"Wow. That's really cool. I can see why some of these kids would want to be here," Danielle said as she recognized some of the kids from her school.

"So why don't you?" Ray asked.

"Huh?" she asked, looking up at him in confusion.

"Why don't you want to join?"

"Well, it's just that I…I don't think I belong here. I'm a reject. A freak. I would just be out casted from here too," she said as she gazed up into his green eyes.

"Danielle, look at these kids," he said, pointing out to a few. "That boy gets abused by his parents on a weekly basis, rejected by the people you gave him life. That girl gets shunned because she lost her virginity to a jock when she was thirteen, and people say that she's a freak and a whore. That little boy, is an orphan, and had to live on the streets before finding his home here because the world out casted him. Everyone is in the exact same boat as you, and no one here can or has the right to judge you just because you're different. We're all different, but just because we're different, people in the outside world want to persecute us for not being like them." Leaning down, her got close to her ear and began to whisper. "I know life isn't fair and that bad things happen, and that's why we're here. To help those kids that need the extra push to get past it and make them better people."

"But…I…" Danielle's voice caught in her throat as his words sank into her mind. It all sounded so good. These kids were no different than her. They had all been through something that made their life horrible, and yet, they were all smiling and laughing. Enjoying life like they didn't have a care in the word. If they could do it, why couldn't she?

"Don't you want that security back? That feeling that you never had to worry about anything and just live? Don't you want to be around people who won't turn on you, and that will accept you for who and what you are?" Ray squeezed her shoulder, feeling the tense muscle under her skin. Danielle could feel his breath tickling her neck and ear as he spoke one last sentence. "Don't you want to have friends again?"

That was the straw that broke the camels back for Danielle as the crushing reality hit her. She did want friends again. She did want to feel normal again. She did want what they had to offer her, and here it was, being handed to her on a silver platter. Everything he had said was true, but could he really keep that promise and give her everything that she wanted? Danielle was only sure of one thing: she would never know unless she found out for herself.

"Yes. Yes, I want all of that," she whispered as tears came to her eyes and ran down her face. Behind her, Ray smiled as he stood back up and gave her shoulder one more squeeze.

"Then welcome to the Renegades, Dani."

**Ok, so that's it for this chapter. Sorry for the long wait. I've been having serious computer problems as of late, not to mention I'm super busy trying to finish a bunch of work so I can graduate. On a sad note, this story is almost over. I don't believe it will go past 30 chapters. However, the sequel is in full effect and will be up same day as the last chapter of this story. Also, I've been planning a Young Justice/Danny Phantom Crossover series that I'm currently writing and that is going to be spectacular. If you all go to my profile, you'll be able to get a summary of it, as well as my other stories. If you guys have any questions about it, feel free to ask me. The first story, "Phantom Light" will begin in summer of 2013! So be ready!**

**Also, a little trivia question: What is the significance about the numbers of the warehouse's location to that of the TV series? You're gonna have to think back early on in the series, in season one. A hint, it has to do with Danny's school. Good luck!**


	25. Chapter 25: Joining the Ranks

Chapter 25: Joining the Ranks

Danielle groaned in annoyance as her hand searched for the off button on her alarm clock. After many failed attempts, she finally sat up and opened her eyes enough to slam her palm on the snooze button, effectively silencing the annoying device. As the ringing in her ears began to die out and the light flooded into her room, Danielle sat still on the bed, legs hanging over the edge as her hands clutched her sheets. Her breathing was slow and somewhat even while her long black locks hung around her face, a dark veil hiding her tired features as her thoughts seemed to jumble up and push forward in an effort to be the fore thought that she would focus on first.

As much as she wanted to believe it, Danielle was beginning to question if what she had done last night was such a good idea. If she was being honest with herself, she was still unsure if last night really happened; it all seemed like some kind of strange, though comforting dream. Looking over to her nightstand, Danielle reached out and picked up the wristband she had been given after joining the Renegades. The band was a simple black stretch band. The thing that made it so special, however, was the patch that rested on the top of it.

The patch was a stitched crystal blue shield that held a grinning smiley face in the center. On the right eye was an eye patch with an "R" over it. The symbol was so simple in its design, and yet as Danielle ran her thumb over it, hit held so much comfort and power in it. Of course, she knew that anyone wearing this shield color held no _real_ power in the group, but it still meant a lot to her. Danielle had seen many people wearing the shield on various clothing not only at her school, but when she had gone to the warehouse last night. The one thing that caught her eye was the variety of colors the shield came in, and couldn't help her curiosity which prompted her to ask Ray about it. He explained to her that the shields were colored to help distinguish rank amongst the group. Kids who joined between the ages of 6 and 10 were given yellow shields to show that they were the lowest ranking members, and that they were still in the process of learning their roles. It also helped because the kids were so much younger and needed help getting used to other kids who were in the same type of situation as them, making it easy to make friends.

The rank after that, which was the rank that Danielle had been given, was blue. Kids between the ages of 11 and 13 were given these to show that they were not only a member, but that they were responsible with helping out the younger ranking members. They were to act as older brothers and sisters that the younger kids could look up to, as well as keep them out of trouble whenever they could. Danielle briefly wondered if she shouldn't have been given the yellow shield since she was technically not old enough to wear the blue, but dismissed the thought since she was not even old enough to join, and felt it better not to have to explain her story to Ray, regardless of the hospitality given to her. The next color after that was purple which was reserved for anyone 13 and up. The ones in this ranks had much more freedom then the rest, being allowed to do things in the name of the Renegades without getting permission from the higher ups because they were all more than familiar with the rules and punishments that went along with being a higher rank. Danielle knew nothing about these punishments, and to be honest, she didn't want to know. She had heard from Ray that a few of the other blue shields were older than normal and that they had been lowered in rank again because of something they did.

After the purple shields, there were only two other ranks. The first was the rank of Captain, a rank that was so rare in the group, that most didn't stay long enough to gain that rank, were not qualified enough to handle the responsibility or were not favored enough by the leader. This became obvious when Danielle discovered that the only two Captains were Marina and Nicholas. Ray had explained to her that there were plenty of captain's positions available, but no one had stepped up with enough ambition or skills to be placed into the spot.

"Being a captain is a lot of responsibility, you see. I can't just trust anyone to be in control of a certain group or process here. Especially if they're going to just abuse the power. That's why I select very carefully," Ray explained to her.

Most of the time, a person would have to go out of their way to get the attention need to even be considered a candidate, but every so often, a child would be recommended for a spot. To Danielle's surprise, Ray told her that she was already a candidate for a captain's spot because Nicholas had told him much about her. Danielle was not only flattered, but she was also extremely confused and nervous because now she was going to have to be on her toes and show that she was worthy of such an honor that she wasn't even sure she wanted.

The final rank, to no one's surprise, was leader which was only obtained if you are handpicked by the former leader. The leader's shield was a bright red that signified power and leadership because it took a lot to run an organization like theirs. Ray, who was now 17, had been picked to run the group at the age of 13, making him the youngest leader in the history of the Renegades. Danielle could admire his leadership qualities, especially how welcome and at home he had made her feel, because these were the same qualities that Danny had first shown her when they had met.

A loud knocking on the door brought her out of her thoughts as well as startled Cujo, who had been sleeping in the corner on his small mattress.

"30 minutes, Danielle. If you're not downstairs in the next 20, you won't have time to eat breakfast, so get a move on," Jazz said from behind the closed door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Danielle said before letting out a sigh and placing her wristband under her pillow. Hopping off her bed, she bent down to pet her puppy and made her way out of the room and toward the bathroom to get ready.

As she climbed down the stairs, now fully dressed, Danielle could feel her stomach as it flipped repeated. She subconsciously pulled on the left sleeve of her shirt, checking that it was covering the band properly. Even though she knew for a fact that she had checked her arm numerous times in her room to be sure that it could not be seen, she could not get the feeling of uneasy to go away. To do her credit, it was understandable. Her family was full of ghost hunters, superheroes, a future doctor and the Mayor of town. If they knew that she was hanging around with the Renegades, that would be the end of any freedom she had left. If they knew she had _joined_ them, that would be it for her; that would literally be the end of her because she knew that her parents would kill her and take the other half of her life before hunting her down in the Ghost Zone and locking away what was left of her. Just imagining what her mother and father would have to say sent a shiver down her spine. But there was literally nothing she could do about it other than cover it up because all members were required to wear at least one piece clothing with their shield on it.

"Might as well dig my own grave at that point," she mumbled as she walked in the kitchen. "Morning."

"Morning," the three teens said as they ate their breakfast. "Someone's in a good mood this morning," Sam said as she eyed Danielle who gave a nervous laugh.

"Yeah. I guess that being able to fly around last night really did the trick. Especially since I hadn't done it in a while. So what's for breakfast?"

"We, just had eggs. You, are getting a pop-tart," Jazz said, handing her the small packaged pastries. Danielle groaned as she took them, examining the package with distain. "Hey, I warned you that needed to get down here on time. Now, get going before you're late."

"Fine. I'm going."

"Do you want us to walk with you, Ellie?" Danny asked as she made her way for the door.

Danielle stopped dead in her tracks as a nervous sweat began to build up on her forehead. She had to think of a way around this as quickly as possible. Ray had told her that a few of her fellow rank members would meet her outside of the school in the morning so that they could help to establish that she was not to be harmed or messed with because she was under the protection of the Renegades, but there was no way in hell she could tell her parents that. If she told them that she was meeting with friends, they would question who, seeing as she no longer had any friends. She knew she couldn't say she was going to see Mrs. Otree; her parents where too close to her and would definitely find out she was lying which could only make things more complicated. Swallowing, Danielle put on her best confident smile, and turned back to face her family.

"No, that's ok, Daddy. I need to get used to walking to school by myself again, and the walk will be a good way to help me clear my head and to prepare myself for school. It'll help me set a calm mind, you know."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Besides, I can get to school on time from here if I walk. You two are gonna be late if you don't fly there now." Danny looked down at his watch and almost swore as he and Sam grabbed their backpacks and transformed while Jazz simply shook her head and walked out the door to her car. As the two stood in front their daughter in their ghost forms, Danielle had to laugh at the slightly panicked look on her father's face.

"Are you sure you don't want us to drop you off at school?" Danny asked one last time which caused Danielle to roll her eyes.

"Yes, Dad. I am sure. I'll be fine. Besides, you two can't even touch me as long as you're in your ghost forms and I'm wearing this belt. Now, get going before you get a detention."

"Alright. We'll see you after school, Ellie," Sam said. With a wave, the two turned intangible and flew through the roof, leaving the preteen in the kitchen alone. Danielle let out a loud sigh of relief before wiping her forehead and heading out of the house herself.

As she walked down the sidewalk, Danielle couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of her parents. Even though she only had to wear the belt for a couple of hours, watching the both of them transform and go freely like that annoyed her that she couldn't. But she knew she couldn't dwell on that. When she said she was going to prepare herself for the day, she wasn't lying. Things were going to be changing for her soon, and she needed to be ready.

As she came upon the school, she ignored the sneers, insults and glares from people she passed, and began to look around for…whoever the hell she was supposed to be looking for.

"Great. Ray didn't even bother to tell me who I'm supposed to meet up with," she said as she looked around the school yard.

"Danielle!" Turning around, Danielle felt relieved as Nicholas made his way over to her with a group of kids that she knew were all blue ranked shields like her. "Glad to see you up and about on such a lovely day. How's everything going?"

"Ok, I guess. I nearly had a heart-attack trying to hide my shield from my parents," she said, sliding her sleeve up to reveal the wrist band.

"That's understandable. It can be a bit nerve-wrecking when you're first starting out, but it'll get easier, and one day, you probably won't even care if your parents know. But more about that later. I'd like to introduce you to a few of your fellow shield members," Nicholas said, turning to the first one, a girl with dark brown hair that held blue highlights in it. The girl had dark jeans with a black belt matching her kicks and a cut off mid-drift black shirt with a patch on each shoulder with her rank shield on it. "This is Amanda Bindley."

"Mandy, age 13, 8th grader, been in the group since I was 8. Nice to make your acquaintance, Dani," she said, holding out her hand to her. Danielle smiled and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you too. I really like the highlights in your hair."

"Thanks. A lot of us older girls like to color our hair as we rank up. It drives the boys crazy too," she said with a wink.

"Yes, yes. Can we please move on before she gets too full of herself," A boy said, adjusting his square glasses on his face. His dark blonde hair fell into his eyes as he held his books in his opposite hand. Danielle took in the plain white shirt, digital watch, baggy sweatpants with shields over both pockets and black boots, and recognition hit her.

"Hey, I know you. You're Darren Wright. You're in my class, and you're really smart."

"You are correct, Danielle. I am Darren Wright, age 12, 7th grader, and you are also correct that I am smart. Smarter than almost everyone in class, you being one of the few people who I am of equal intelligence to in our class. Unfortunately, it was because of my knowledge and lack of physical strength that I used to get beaten up by the football team. After joining the Renegades, and learning a good amount about self-defense, I no longer have that problem."

"Wow, that sounds really-" Danielle paused as the third member, a girl with long blonde hair held back by a head band with her shield on it, fell over, laying out in the grass. Danielle looked at her in confusion. With her short sleeved pink shirt and plaid skirt, this girl didn't seem like the kind of girl who would just fall out on the ground, sound asleep. "Um…is she alright?"

"Oh sure. She's fine. She does that a lot, which is probably why she's such an air head," Mandy said. "She's Cassandra Justave, but everyone calls her Cassie. Age 11, 6th grade, resident airhead and bum, likes to fall asleep often, mostly in class."

"Ok, does everyone seriously have to do the name, grade and info thing?" Danielle said with a look of annoyance.

"Generally, no, but it's customary to do so when introducing yourself to new members, members who don't know you or members of higher rank who ask you," Darren said. "For example, Danielle Fenton, age 12, 7th grader, newest member of the Renegades, known for having other worldly powers."

"Yeah, I think everyone already knows about her powers, Darren," Nicholas said, shaking his head. "Anyway, just thought I'd introduce ya to a few of the others in your rank. You guys take good care of her, ya hear. Ray's putting a lot of faith and trust into you all to teach her the ropes and help her through this. Got it?"

"Of course we do, Nick. You of all people should know, based on-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get that you got it, Darren."

"Leave her to us, Nicky boy. By the end of the day, we'll have her strutting around like she owns the place," Mandy said with a smile as she hooked an arm around Danielle who could only smile awkwardly.

"Right-o, then. I've got work to do, so I'll see you lot at lunch. Danielle, if these knuckle heads give you too much of a hard time, you let me know, alright," Nicholas said. Danielle nodded her head, though it was a bit hard to with Mandy's arm still around her, but Nicholas under stood. With a quick tip of his hat, he turned on his heels and made his way into the school building.

"Well, now that that's been settled, let's get ready for school," Mandy said, finally releasing Danielle and turning to the still sleeping Cassie. "WAKE THE HELL UP ALREADY!" She screamed, startling Danielle as she gave Cassie a swift kick in the side. Darren rolled his eyes at her antics while Danielle looked at her as if she might be slightly crazy, though this wasn't the first time she's seen someone do that to their friend. Her mother was known for having very hard kick, especially with her boots on.

Cassie gave a soft groan as she turned over onto her side and pushed herself into a sitting position. Rubbing her tired eye, she turned to Mandy and gave her a small glare.

"Why do you always do that?" she asked tiredly.

"Why are you always such an airhead and fall asleep everywhere?" she retorted.

"Well…why are you so…stupid and…stupid."

"Exactly," she said, turning to Danielle. "Sorry about her, but you get used to it. Now you two can be formally introduced."

"Hi, Cassie. Nice to meet you, Dani," she said with a bright smile that Danielle couldn't help but return.

"Nice to meet you too," Danielle said just as the warning bell rang. "Oh…looks like we'd better head inside…" her hesitant look did not go unnoticed by Darren or Mandy, who only smirked before grabbing Danielle and Cassie's arms and began to start hauling them toward the building with Darren bringing up the rear.

"Well, then we'd better get a move on. Don't wanna be late," Mandy said.

"Wait, I'm not sure if I can do this!" Danielle said, now in a full on panic as she tried to pull away from the older girl. "I can't go through that again! I can't face what happened again, not after yesterday!"

"Danielle, it's alright," Darren said, placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her forward. "Just stick close to us, and I promise, everything will be ok."

Danielle didn't get another chance to retort as she soon found herself in the hallway of her school. Walking at what she considered an agonizingly slow pace, Danielle averted her eyes as everyone was, once again, staring at her. Danielle kept her gaze to the floor as people began to whisper all around her.

"Why is the freak with some of the Renegades?" "One freak being taken in by other freaks." "She's wearing one of the shields! She's in their group!?" "No surprise that she would fall in with those guys. She obviously has problems."

Danielle was starting to wonder if joining the Renegades was a bad idea when she felt a hand her shoulder give a light squeeze. She didn't have to look back to know that it was Darren, trying to help reassure her. She was, however, surprised when she felt someone grab her free hand. Turning her head slightly, she was met with a smile, though it was tired, from Cassie.

"Danielle," Mandy said, still facing forward. "Hold your head up. Renegades always hold their heads up because we don't let what other people say get to us. You have to show people that you are not to be messed with. Show them your confidence. Especially if you're a blue shield; set an example for the yellow shields."

Danielle was speechless. Mandy was right, though. She couldn't cower like a little girl forever. If she ever wanted to get back to normal and to have everything go back to the way it was, to her having the confidence and power she had felt before, she needed to hold her head up for everyone to see. Swallowing down her nervousness, Danielle finally raised her head and tried to put a confident smile on her face, though it didn't last long.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the crappy clone, come with a bunch of freaks of her own," Tootie said as she, Chester and AJ stood in front of the group of blue shields.

"Can't say that I'm too surprised that they would want to taken in a broke little freak like you, Fenton," AJ said with a sneer.

"Of course not. Freaks of a feather flock together," Chester said, elating a laugh from the other two. Danielle stood there, frozen in place, as she tried to find a rational thing to say or do, but found herself unable to come up with anything. The same could not be said for the others as Darren placed his books on the floor and adjusted his glasses, Cassie cracked her slightly stiff neck and Mandy placed a hand on her hip.

"You know, if you were smart, which you obviously aren't, you'd back off and leave her alone," Mandy said in a low tone.

"And what'll you do if we don't, Bindley?" Chester said with a smirk as he got in her face, his breath assaulting her nose and causing her to scrunch it up in disgust.

"This," she said before punching him in the stomach and grabbing his head where she brought it down to connect it to her knee. Chester stumbled backwards as a large red mark appeared on his forehead where she had hit him, and soon lost his balance. AJ was stunned that his friend had been beaten so easily, and had little time to notice when he feet had been swept out from under him. Landing on the ground with a thud, AJ felt as all his air left his body and his lungs paused before resuming their normal flow again. Darren stood over him, grinning down at the boy with a look that some might call sadistic, but made no move to hit him again, only keeping the boy frozen in place on the floor. Tootie was shocked as her mouth hung open, and turned to run as Mandy's gaze turned to her. However, she didn't get far as she soon found herself tripping as well, courtesy of Cassie whose foot was still out. Tootie groaned as she was yanked up off the floor by her Mandy who had one hand on her arm, twisting it behind her back, and the other on one of her pigtails, forcing her to look at Danielle who was still stunned. "Listen and listen good, you pathetic trash. She is with us, now. She is one of us, now. That means if you don't want to get your asses kicked on a daily basis, you're going to lay off of her, because if I have to come back here because of you, I promise that next time, there will be blood. Got that?" Mandy said in a low, intimidating voice that made Tootie shake in fear as she tried to nod her head. Looking up at Danielle, Mandy smiled. "Got anything you wanna say to her, Dani?"

Danielle blinked as she realized that these people, her feel members, had just beaten up the A-Listers, just for her. And based on the smiles on their faces, they were not only happy to do it, they held no fear of repercussions for their actions. No fear at all. Just like she used to feel. Just like she wanted to feel again. Walking up to Tootie, Danielle raised a shaky had, and slapped Tootie across the face, just like she had done to her the day before.

"That was for hitting me yesterday, you bitch!" She said, anger flaring a little at the pleasure of seeing Tootie now cowering before her. Raising her hand again, Danielle brought the back of her hand across her other cheek. "And that was for all the torment you and your stupid friends put me through! All the hell that you've been giving me ends here! Never again!"

Tootie nodded her head vigorously as tears fell from behind her glasses while Mandy had another sadistic smile on her face at Danielle's actions. Licking her tongue against Tootie's ear, causing the girl to nearly scream in disgust, Mandy turned her around and gave her a good shove, causing the girl to trip over Chester who was just coming to while AJ tried to help him up.

"Now scram, all of you. I don't wanna see or hear anything out of you for the rest of the day," Mandy said. The three populars got up and ran away from them as quickly as they could. Darren adjusted his glasses once more before picking up his books while Cassie leaned against a locker and let out a loud yawn. Turning to her newest rank mate, Mandy smiled, proud of her progress already. "So, Dani, how does it feel to have power again? How does it feel to get back at them?"

"You know, my Dad always used to tell me that getting revenge was never a good thing, especially when you have powers like ours, and I gotta say, he was wrong," she said with a smile as she slowly stopped panting. "The rush I felt, the feeling I got from getting back at her and the look in her eyes…it made me feel so much better! It feels good to be able to feel like my old self again. Thanks guys."

"It's no problem. You're one of us now, and Renegades don't take crap from anyone. We get back at those who have wronged us, and now, everyone will know that you're under our wing now."

Danielle smiled and started to walk with her new friends down the hall, now completely oblivious to the looks of fear and disbelief on everyone's faces. As she passed one girl, a young blonde, the girl could only gape at the young Phantom, denial in her mind that the once sweet girl was now really part of this gang. Lin shook her head, bringing her out of her trances, but kept her eyes on her former best friend's back as she walked down the hall and away from her.

"Why, Danielle? Why?" she asked quietly, praying that she hadn't just led the girl down a road she couldn't turn back from.


	26. Chapter 26: The Job

Chapter 26: The Job

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period and the start of lunch, Danielle's favorite period of the day for obvious reasons. Having a majority of her traits coming from her father, Danielle had an appetite that could give any of the boys in her class a run for their money. But today, stuffing her face was the last thing she was thinking about.

After their little run in with the A-Listers earlier, Danielle's day had been going great. When she got to class, she got many shocked looks when she was seen not only walking in with, but talking with Darren. The only person who wasn't surprised was Lin who had walked in right behind them and tried to pay them no attention as she sat in her seat, but as the period went on, she couldn't help but continuously glance at the two who paid no attention to the lesson her mother was teaching. Lin never really liked Darren. She wasn't sure if it was because he acted so much superior then everyone, like he was better, or if it was the fact that he was part of the Renegades, but whatever it was, she didn't like him.

Mrs. Otree had also noticed the two, and though she had heard about the Renegades as well as Darren's involvement, the boy's grades contradicted everything that was being said about them. Where many said that they were delinquents who caused trouble and such, Darren was a model student, always showing up to school on time, always having his homework done and his grades were impeccable. He, along with a few other students, were on the honor roll constantly, showing that he was one of the few who were different than the others who fell into that crowd. Darren also had a reputation for helping tutor others kids who were having problems, and rarely got into trouble. Of course with his attitude and academic records, he was often let off for any trouble he caused.

Unbeknownst to many, Darren's main job in the Renegades was to keep up the front that they weren't as bad as they were. Darren had always been a smart child, something he and his parents had always prided themselves in. But like most, he was subjected to ridicule by those of a lower aptitude, and thus, became one of the many subjected to the daily beatings and teasing of the football team and the popular kids. Darren had always used his knowledge to try to hide his more personal emotions, and would often say things that they could not understand when they had hurt his feelings, which of course would lead to more beatings. The day he joined the Renegades was the first time in a long time he felt safe again. They taught him how to fight, how to defend himself from, and for once, he felt like the predator instead of the prey. And he loved every moment of it.

After a few months, Ray had approached him with a task, one that Darren could take on easily with little to no effort. He was asked to help anyone who was falling behind in school. It was a simple request, one that he would do without any objection, but Darren couldn't help the curiosity as to why he was being asked to do such a job.

"We need to stay out of the public eye in a negative way," Ray said. "I know for a fact that a lot of these knuckle heads have let their grades slip since they started rebelling a little and going on as they please."

Darren understood. They wanted to cover up some of the things that they did that people didn't like by doing things that they did. Simple cancelation of opinion, and Darren knew he could do this with ease. He was going to pull a wool over everyone's eyes, and nobody would be the wiser.

Gathering her books, Danielle turned back to Darren who already had his books in hand and was standing, waiting for her.

"You ready, Darren?" Danielle asked as she stood up as well.

"Yes, I am. We need to meet up with Amanda and Cassandra so we should get going," he replied, adjusting his glasses. Danielle nodded her head and made her way toward the door but stopped as someone tapped her on the shoulder. Turning, both came face to face with Lin who had an uncomfortable look on her face. Darren of course knew why she looked uncomfortable as many kids acted that why once they were in the presence of the Renegades, but he paid almost no attention to any of it anymore. "Well, it looks as though Lindsey has something she wishes to say, Danielle." Lin flinched at the accusatory tone in his voice. Darren was making it blatantly obvious that he was mocking her and that she was not welcome, but Lin felt as if there was something that she needed to say.

"Danielle, can I speak to you," she said quietly before eying Darren. "Alone." Darren was unaffected by her words, and turned to Danielle who looked very hesitant.

"I shall meet you outside the cafeteria with Amanda and Cassandra. Please do not dawdle, Danielle," he said, walking pass the two girls and out the door, leaving the two of them alone in the room. Danielle would have been surprised that her teacher wasn't still in the room had she not been standing in an awkward silence with her ex-best friend. Danielle stood, books in hand, while Lin nervously played with her hair, a habit that Danielle knew she did often.

"Listen, Danielle, I don't think you should-"

"And let me stop you right there, Lin," Danielle said, "because I can tell you right now, I don't care what you think anymore." The stunned look on Lin's face made it very clear that she was not expecting that kind of response from Danielle.

"What?"

"After you ditched me yesterday at my locker, after you watched everyone laugh and make fun of me, after you watched people throw things at me and sneer and make fun of me, you think that you have any right or say as to who I hang out with? You think I care about your opinion? Well I can tell you, I don't."

"Danielle…do you not realize what that shield on your wristband means?" Lin said, completely thrown off.

"It might mean something else to you, but to me, it means trust. Protection. Friendship," Danielle said, narrowing her eyes which made Lin shrink back a little under her gaze.

"Look, I know what I did yesterday probably wasn't the definition of friendship-"

"Gee, really? I probably picked up on that somewhere between being called a freak while balling my eyes out looking at you turn your back down the hall way, and watching you look at everyone throwing spitballs into my hair."

"But…I'm just trying to look out for you, Danielle," she said, her voice rising a little at the constant berating of her actions. Lin could see that Danielle's anger was rising slightly as well, and couldn't help the small amount of fear that ran up her spine regardless of the fact that she knew Danielle couldn't use her powers.

"Yeah, right. If you call leaving me in a pool of social anxiety to drown, then yes, thank you for looking out for me, Lindsey!" Danielle exclaimed, marching toward the door. As she reached the threshold, she turned around, nostrils flaring. "Why don't you just do us both a favor and mind your own damn business!"

"Fine! I was just trying to help, but suite yourself, you brat!" Lin shouted as Danielle stormed out of the room and into the hallway, ignoring the strange looks she received from the few people who had probably heard the exchange. Making a quick stop at her locker, she deposited her book, slamming the metal door as her anger continued to boil and grumbling obscenities that probably get her grounded for a year if her parents had heard and three years if her grandmother had. As she came to the entrance to the cafeteria, Danielle found the others, waiting for her.

"Yo, Dani, what kept you?" Mandy said as she leaned against the wall.

"Something," Danielle said, still simmering.

"Based on the flaring of your nostrils and the slight flush on your face, I am guessing that your chat with Lindsey did not go as well as you had thought it would, yes?" Darren said as he closed the book he was reading.

"No, it didn't. She had the nerve to try and tell me that I shouldn't be hanging out with you guys and that she's just looking out for me," Danielle said, narrowing her eyes. "I mean, where does she get the gall to try and tell me who I can and can't hang out with and try to act like she still cares about me, after what happened yesterday."

"You want us to take care of her?" Mandy asked, brushing some of her dyed locks out of her face.

"No, she's not even worth it. I already told her off, and she's not the type to cause trouble like that. Let's just go eat our lunch," she said walking up to the door.

"If you say so," Darren said as he turned his head and lightly tapped Cassie on the head with his book. "Get up, Cassandra. Danielle's here so we can eat now."

"Finally. I'm starving," she said as she stretched her tired limbs and stood up with a smile on her face. The four walked into the cafeteria with their lunches in hand as they walked toward the corner of the room and took the vacant table reserved specifically for them. Danielle sat down, Darren taking the seat next to her while Mandy and Cassie sat across from them.

As they began to eat and chat lightly, Danielle kept her gaze down, only looking up to glare at Lin and Jordan as they came into the room. Lin caught her glare, narrowing her own eyes before the two disappeared to sit at their usual table out of Danielle's line of site. Mandy had caught the look Danielle had sent the two as well as the upset look on her face as she quietly ate. After about ten minutes, Mandy had had it with the girl's silent act.

"Ok, Ghosty, enough of the sad, kicked puppy look," Mandy said.

"Oh god, can we not say things like that? I have a dog, and I couldn't imagine someone trying to kick him," Danielle groaned as a visual of some kicking her cute little green Cujo ran through her mind. "Though, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be able to kick him without losing a limb…and Ghosty?"

"Nickname I came up with. Anyway, we need to get you out of this funk that you're in. After school, we're going to do something fun and you're going to have a good time, or so help me, I'll kick your tiny butt from here to across town and back."

"Do you always have to use violence to get someone to do something, Amanda?" Darren asked, placing his sandwich down to wipe his mouth.

"Only when I'm trying to make a point. Like how I've told you if you call me by my full name again I'd kick you in the balls til you became a girl," she said, crumpling her chip bag.

"But then you wouldn't have a boyfriend, Mandy," Cassie said causally, while Danielle coughed, choking as water went down the wrong pipe.

"You guys are dating!?" she cried in astonishment. "You don't even act like you're together! You barely even act like you can stand each other!"

"What can I say," Mandy said with a shrug of her shoulders as she grabbed Darren's hand and squeezed it. "Nerd's are hot."

"What I think she means to say is that, yes we are together," Darren said. "Couples occur in the organization more often than people think as it is hard to find someone outside of the group who is ok with dating someone in the Renegades. Not to mention, often times those who do get their significant other to join as well. Mandy and I became a couple not long after I joined. She was told to teach me self-defense, and one thing led to another."

"Wow….that's….really weird because I swear that I cannot see the two of you dating and watching you hold hands is just confusing me even more," Danielle said just as her phone vibrated in her skirt pocket. Pulling the small device from her pocket, she found a text message from her mother saying that they were all heading to the Nasty Burger after school for a bite to eat and hang out. Danielle quickly replied to the message and turned back to her friends. "Anyway, I can't do after school. I'm meeting with my family. I can get away later though after dinner."

"Perfect. Meet us in the park after dinner tonight."

"What are we doing?"

"That's a surprise," Cassie said with a sing-songy voice and a smile that matched Mandy's. Danielle looked at Darren who also had a small smile on his face. Danielle could feel the uneasy jump in her stomach at their smiles, but nodded her head in agreement.

As Danielle flew high above the city, she couldn't help feeling anxious to meet up with the others, especially after the fiasco of a day she had after school.

As planned, she met up with her parents, aunt and uncle at the Nasty Burger. She was surprised to see Valerie had come with them, though it was a pleasant surprise on her part. As they all sat around, talking and just enjoying each other's company, both her parent's ghost sense went off as well as Valerie's ghost detector. No sooner had that happened did none other than Skulker shown up with another one of his catches, a giant monster with tentacles, to challenge the three and to "Take the Whelp's pelt". Danielle was excited since she hadn't gotten to do any real fighting in so long, but was quickly reminded that she was still wearing her Spector Deflector and no one there had a spare key to it. With a heavy sigh, she was sent home with her aunt, watching her family fight without her in the rearview mirror as they got further and further away.

Once she had gotten home, she made a dash to her Dad's computer so she could play some Doomed and vent some of her frustration, but then Jazz decided to intervene at that time.

"Danielle, you know the rules in this house: No video games until your homework's done. Besides, it's not like the game's going anywhere."

Danielle groaned as she dragged her backpack to her room and spent three hours doing various subjects of work. Somewhere doing the time, she had heard her parents return and everyone brag about how the battle had gone. Danielle was definitely not happy listening to the others talking about it, but ignored them in favor of getting her work done faster.

Upon completion, Danielle slammed her book closed and went straight to the computer to login, only for find out that the server had been taken down for maintenance not even five minutes before hand and would be down until an undetermined amount of time. As she stared awestruck and disappointedly at the screen, she remembered Tucker mentioning something about it a few weeks again, advising them all to play before it went down. Danielle felt the urge to scream, but instead decided that slamming her head on the desk repeatedly would suffice.

As soon as she was called down to dinner, she practically scarfed her food down like she hadn't ever eaten before. Everyone stared at the girl as she finished her entire plate without so much as a complaint or disgusted face as she ate her vegetables, bread and meat. Grabbing her drink, she quickly chugged it down before anyone could even mention that she should slow down. As her glass came back down onto the table and her hand wiped her mouth, Danielle turned to her parents and asked if she could be excused to go out for some flying. Seeing that the girl was in such a hurry worried everyone, but they figured she just really wanted to go flying to clear her head and allowed her to.

Now, high above the city, Danielle was beginning to think that maybe she should have taken a bit more time eat her food as her stomach groaned in protest, its own way of saying "I told you so". Holding down both the nausea and the small bit of pain, Danielle landed on the soft grass of the park and transformed back to normal as she walked toward her friends who were waiting for her, all wearing black hoodies with the blue shield on the front and sunglasses on their faces.

"Hey, guys," she said as she walked up to them, a hand on her stomach.

"You ok, Dani?" Cassie asked. "You look a little sick."

"Yeah, I'm-" Danielle paused before a loud belch flew from her mouth. Danielle stood there, hands over her mouth and cheeks bright red in embarrassment. Normally, she had no problem with being rude and belching, but that was only when doing it in the comfort of her home. Looking at her friends stunned faces, Danielle didn't know what to say. Mandy cracked a huge smile before they all started laughing, much to Danielle's relief.

"Nice one, Dani," Mandy said, wiping away a tear from her eye. "Now, onto business. Tonight, we are going to be doing something extra fun. We are going Marking."

"Marking? Um, what exactly is that?"

"Marking is the term used in the group to signify the act of leaving the mark of the Renegades on properties not owned by us. Some people like to think of it as vandalism while others in the group like to think of it as a creative way to express ourselves. To put it short, we are going to be spray painting a building," Darren explained.

"What? Oh, guys, I don't know about this," Danielle said hesitantly. "I mean, I knew that the group did this on the regular, but I don't think I can."

"Why not?" Cassie asked.

"If I get caught, that would be the end of me. I'm supposed to be a protector of Amity Park. My parents are crime-fighters, and if they found out I went around tagging places, they would kill me. Those rumors about being grounded and banished to the Ghost Zone, those aren't just rumors. They really would send me away to be punished, and I can tell you right now, it is way worse than being sent to military school. Not to mention that their best friend, my godfather, is the mayor of the town. And if word got out that I was doing that, who knows what would happen. The media would eat it up, and that's definitely something that I should not be involved with."

"Awe, come on, Dani! It'll be so much fun! And we swear you won't get caught!" Cassie whined.

"Sorry guys, but you're gonna have to count me out," Danielle said, turning and starting to walk away.

"Well, looks like it's just the three of us going to Dalv Co. guys," Mandy said. Danielle suddenly stopped in her tracks at the mention of her former father's company. They were going to be vandalizing his property? Now that changed everything.

"Did you just say Dalv Co.? The company owned by former billionaire and mega fruitloop, Vlad Masters?" she asked, a cheeky smile on her face.

Mandy smiled as she recognized the smile on Danielle's face. She had held that same smile on numerous occasions, and understood that it meant she was up to something devious.

"Why yes, Dani, that Dalv Co. But I'm sure that that wouldn't make any difference since you made it very clear that you can't join us," she said, smiling at Danielle who smiled back.

"You know, on second thought, maybe I could stick around and…learn the ropes a bit. After all, what's life without a little risk, right?" She said with a smile as her eyes flashed green. Mandy nodded her head, pulling off her backpack as Cassie squealed and Darren nodded him head. Mandy opened her bag and pulled out a black hoodie, gloves and a pair of black sunglasses that she handed to Danielle. As Danielle pulled the hooded jacket over her head, she wasn't surprised to find their shield on the front. As she slipped the gloves on then the glasses, she tilted them back onto her face, muttering, "Revenge is a dish best served to a fruitloop."

The thirty minute walk from the park to the Dalv Co. building was spent with the others informing Danielle of how the act of Marking was to go down. There were a few rules, but they were important none the less. The first and most important rule was, of course, to not get caught. Getting caught was something you didn't need to do, and Danielle didn't need to be reminded that she couldn't get caught. The next rule was that if someone were to get caught, rescue them if possible. Leaving someone behind was not something that should be done, but if necessary, do so.

The next rule was if you were caught, never to spill any information whatsoever. No giving out names of anyone who was with you. No telling them where to find the Renegades. No telling them why you were there. Playing innocent, scared children was always the go to plan.

After that, the only real rules that involved Marking were that they had to spray paint at least one shield each with the symbol. After that, you were free to do anything that you pleased. When asked why, the other simply stated "Those are the rules" to which Danielle decided it probably wasn't that important anyway.

As they approached the fence, they each pulled the hoods of their jackets up over their head to cover up any recognizable features. Once they were sure that the coast was clear, they each scaled the fence, one at a time starting with Mandy who was quickly followed by Danielle, then Darren and finally Cassie, who was a little less then graceful as she fell on her butt. The other's rolled their eyes, and headed toward the building, but paused as Danielle stuck her hand out and silently pointed to a camera mounted on the wall.

Placing a finger to her mouth, Danielle vanished before her friends eyes and quickly levitated up to the camera, disabling it as well as the others around the building. The other three looked for her, and were all surprised when she reappeared right before their eyes.

"The cameras are knocked out, which means that the guards are going to be trying to figure out what's wrong with them. Meaning there's a good chance that they're going to be coming out here to look for whatever or whoever knocked the cameras out," Danielle explained.

"Meaning that we have to move quickly," Darren said, receiving a nod from Danielle.

"Then let's stop talking and let's get spraying," Mandy said, as she handed everyone a can of blue spray paint. "Danielle and I will start on the back wall. You two start on the opposite sides."

Everyone nodded and headed for the building. Danielle followed Mandy to the back of the large metallic building. Giving their cans a vigorous shake, both girls pulled the tops off and began to spray the blue paint as it flew from the aerosol cans. Danielle paid little attention to the paint that smeared over her gloves as she focused on finishing the eye patch of here symbol.

"Nice work, Dani," Mandy said, before turning back to the wall and spray painting "M.B. Blue Badass" on the wall. Danielle rolled her eyes behind her glasses, turning back to the wall and spray painting "Fruitloop" onto it with a smile. "Do I even want to know?" Mandy asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Inside joke. Now-" Danielle paused as her enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of booted feet and jingling keys. Danielle swore under her breath as she grabbed Mandy's hand, causing her to drop her can of paint. "The guards are coming." Turning her head, Danielle looked for a place to hide, but found that there was nothing but fence behind them. "Crap! We don't have time for this!" Turning, she placed a hand over Mandy's mouth as a confused look crossed her face. Danielle focused, turning both herself and Mandy invisible. As the tingling sensation ran over her, Mandy looked on in amazement as her body vanished from site. "I know, weird, freaky, all that jazz, but right now we need to keep quit."

No sooner had Danielle finished speaking did the guards come around the corner, night sticks and flashlights in hand. Danielle's eyes grew wide as she gazed at the man in front of her that she instantly recognized as Damon Grey, Valerie's father. Along with two other men, Damon examined the wall of still freshly sprayed paint with his flashlight as he read the writing.

"Looks like they got away," Damon said, stepping on the can that had been dropped. "Search the perimeter for any more of them." With that command, the men dispersed. Danielle waited for a few seconds to be sure that the coast was clear before dropping her invisibility and removing her hand from Mandy's mouth. Danielle groaned, smacking herself in the head.

"I can't believe I forgot that her Dad was a guard here," she said. "We need to get out of here, now."

"Agreed. Let's get Cassie and Darren, and get out of here, fast!" Mandy said. Both girls quickly ran around the building, following the guards path so as to stay behind them. As they came around the corner, they were surprised to see Darren and Cassie as they slipped out of a vent and onto a pipe near the building.

"What were you guys doing in a vent!?" Danielle whisper yelled, looking around for anyone or anything that could have seen them.

"We heard the guards coming so we hid in the vent to keep from being seen!" Cassie whispered back. The moment was interrupted as a siren rang out, startling them all and causing their heartbeats to race in panic.

"I believe that now would be an excellent time to beat a hasty retreat," Darren said. The girls nodded their heads.

"Everyone, grab hands," Danielle instructed. Darren and Cassie looked at Danielle in confusion, but as they watched Mandy do so and hold out her hand without hesitation, they quickly grabbed each other's hands. Danielle focused, pouring both her invisibility and intangibility into the other three. Danielle felt as the others shivered a little at the tingling sensation, letting her know that they were complete gone from sight. Knowing she couldn't keep this up for too long, Danielle pulled her friends along and ran straight for the fence. "Everybody hang on, and don't let go, no matter what!" Danielle could fell the fear and tension as Mandy grasped her hand tighter as they came to the fence, but she ignored it, charging head first past the metallic barrier as if it weren't even there. She didn't stop as she yanked her friends along who all squeaked or gasped at the sensation as they passed the fence.

Once they were all clear, Danielle dropped the intangibility so that she could be sure that they were invisible as they ran away, Dalv Co. disappearing into the distance behind them.

Once they were a good distance away, Danielle dropped the cloak and everyone stopped to catch their breath. Danielle huffed as she fell onto her back on the ground, her friends dropping to the ground in exhaustion next to her.

"That was way too close," Danielle said, pulling her glasses off and staring into the star filled sky.

"I'll say. I don't know what that siren was, but it's a good thing you got us outta there. Nice thinking, Ghosty," Mandy said.

"And that invisible thing and the way you made it so we can run through the fence was so cool!" Cassie cheered.

"Yes, that was a very intriguing experience to say the least," Darren said as he pulled his normal glassed from his pocket, wiped them off and put them on. "Though I could have done just fine without the near heart attack toward the end."

Danielle simply nodded her head in agreement before the sound of her phone beeping caught her attention. She let out a groan as she sat up and pulled it out of her pocket to see the alarm she had set to remind her to get home on time so she wouldn't miss curfew. Everyone stared at her in confusion as she got to her feet.

"Sorry guys, but I gotta get going or else I'll miss my curfew," she said as a white ring appeared around her waist.

"Understood. Have a pleasant evening, Danielle," Darren said.

"Later, Dani," Cassie said, waving enthusiastically.

"You did good for your first time Marking, Dani. Hope we can count on you again," Mandy said with a grin.

Danielle smiled back and gave a small wave before taking off into the air. As she glided high over the city, Danielle couldn't help the smile that was brought to her face. Sure, what she had done wasn't a good thing. In fact if anyone in her family found out what she had been up to, she would be in serious trouble. But to say she didn't have a good time would be a lie. The adrenaline rush she got when they hid from the guards. The feeling of the can as she painted the wall. The beating of her heart in her throat as she raced away from the loud sirens around the building. It was all so thrilling. Especially the thought that she could have gotten caught at any moment. By Valerie's father, no less. On the one hand, if she had been caught by him, he probably wouldn't have called the police on her. Though, on that same hand, if he had caught her, he would have definitely called her family, and that would be so much worse than going to jail. But like she had said earlier, what was life without risk?

With a smile and a nod of her head, Danielle agreed that she was definitely going to be doing that again.

As the young ghost girl vanished into the night, Mandy turned to Darren with a twisted smile. "So, did you get it?"

"Of course I got it, Amanda. Those sirens were not just going off for show," Darren said, pulling a small computer chip from his pocket. Mandy smiled as she took the chip from him and then, without even looking back at him, punched low, hitting him in the groin. Darren groaned in pain as he fell over, grasping his injured boyhood to try to relieve the pain. Mandy examined their prize for a moment before leaning down and kissing Darren on the head.

"Good job. I'm sure Ray will be happy with this. If it's really as valuable as he says, holding this thing for ransom will pay off. And I warned you about the name, babe."

"Awe, poor Darren," Cassie said, giggling at his discomfort. Crawling over to him, she gently patted him on the head. "Do you think we should have at least told Dani about the chip?"

"Yes, poor me indeed," Darren said. "And telling Danielle about the chip would have been counterproductive to the reason we came here, Cassandra."

"Darren's right, Cas," Mandy said, putting the chip away with a grin still on her face. "The less she knows for now, the better."


End file.
